Ten Years of Arts Integration
October 10, 2014What’s wrong with school lunches
October 10, 2014Breakfast and the Achievement Gap Among Urban Minority Youth
Basch, C. (2011). Breakfast and the Achievement Gap Among Urban Minority Youth. Journal of School Health, 81(10), 6.
Dr. Basch summarizes the pervasiveness and disparities of breakfast consumption among urban minority youth, and the adverse academic effects of missing breakfast. Significant amounts of American youth do not eat breakfast. In addition, less than half of children participating in free or reduced-lunch also participated in the School Breakfast programs. Neuroscience research has classified the processes by which dietary behavior influences neuronal activity and synaptic plasticity, both of which impact cognitive abilities. Basch discovered that increased participation in School Breakfast programs was associated with reduced absenteeism.
Unfortunately missing breakfast is highly and extremely prevalent among urban school youth, and it has a negative impact on academic achievement. Despite the wide availability of breakfast, the majority of American youth do not participate in the programs. A solution to this issue is to implement breakfast programs that allow students to eat breakfast in the classroom. Basch explains that this program is especially beneficial for students who are not likely to get good nutrition the rest of the day.