By Althea Need Kaminske
Note: This post focuses specifically on education within U.S. school systems.
When we give presentations and talk to people about effective learning strategies, one of the most common questions that we’re asked is: “If this is so effective, why isn’t it being taught in schools?”. This is a complicated question with a complicated answer. The answer is mired in complications from how teachers are trained in schools of education, the politics of what states require to be taught in classrooms, and to the fact that these strategies are more guiding principles than structured programs. There aren’t clear-cut policies to be implemented and, in fact, I would be hesitant to advocate for them as they could be easily misunderstood and misapplied.
On the other hand, one policy that we know has a substantial benefit for education is school lunch and breakfast programs. Decades of research have demonstrated that children do better in school when they aren’t hungry (1, 2, 3). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 15% of households with children were food-insecure in 2020 (4). Not surprisingly, poverty seems to be the largest driver of food insecurity with 10.8% of low-income households reporting very low food security (4). At the university level, as many as 39%-48% of students are food insecure (5).
Our brains require a lot of energy to think. Around 20% of our daily calories go toward fueling the brain (6). Some studies have suggested that engaging in more cognitively demanding tasks burns more calories (7), while others have noted that this may vary by person and by task (7). Given how important food is for thinking, it’s not surprising that food insecurity is associated with decreased cognitive function (9).
Furthermore, the quality of the food we eat can have an impact on our ability to think and learn. Foods high in saturated fats can have a negative impact on our ability to remember information (10). Fortunately, eating fruits and vegetables has been found to reverse these negative impacts (10), so eating an overall balanced diet means that you can indulge in the occasional greasy pizza or ice cream without worry.
Many school meal programs have found positive effects of meals in schools. For example, The Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA) program found that students who received free in-classroom breakfast had better student achievement, classroom behavior, and attention as well as fewer school absences and complaints of hunger (11). On a larger scale, one study examined the long-term effects of the School Breakfast Program, a program established with the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 which provides free breakfast to children from households with income at or below 130% of the poverty level (2). The availability of the School Breakfast Program increased math achievement by 23-29% of a standard deviation (2).
