Elementary School Nutrition and Test Scores
The goal in American education is unlike most other nations’. The United States is typically known for its emphasis on teaching to the test—which means teachers are focused on teaching their students how to score high on a test. However, the method of teaching is not limited to explaining the material, but rather American education has become focused on training their students on how to take the test. Two popular test taking strategies include elimination of answers for multiple choice questions and making an educated guess. The issue lies in the future, however, when students do not understand simple mathematics or history because their elementary school teacher was too busy telling them how to do well on Scantron tests. What other measures does America take in order to raise test scores?
The National Bureau of Economic Research recently published a study on elementary schools trying to improve their test scores by “serving high-energy, low nutrition lunches on test days” (Carpenter, 2002). American schools are at risk of losing funding, among other destructive consequences, if their students do not perform well enough on standardized tests. To prevent loss, some schools try to offer high calorie lunches to their students to give them a boost. Of the schools examined in this study, at least one school in each district at risk for losing funding due to poor test scores offered altered lunches during testing days (Carpenter, 2002). These elementary schools offered lunches with 15% more calories, and cut down on nutrients, like vitamin A and C (Carpenter, 2002). On the other hand, schools that were not at risk for sanctions did not adjust their meals. The daunting result: schools that offered higher energy foods actually scored significantly higher than usual. As Cynthia Mears, a pediatrician from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, puts it: “If the schools are stooping this low to boost test scores, this is scary” (Carpenter, 2002). Ethical or not, it is impressive that one meal can affect an entire student population—elementary school lunches have a tremendous impact on their students.
So elementary school students apparently perform better with high caloric intake, but what role does vitamin consumption play? A blind study conducted by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association examined students from grades three to six (Perlman et al, 2010). Experimenters looked at the children’s’ test scores, grade point average, attendance, and tardiness in relation to taking multivitamins (Perlman et al, 2010). To much surprise, academic performance was hardly impacted (Perlman et al, 2010). GPA’s, attendance, tardiness, and importantly test scores were relatively unchanged for either the experimental or placebo group (Perlman et al, 2010). Synthesizing these two studies, it appears that schools may begin to sacrifice the health of its students, offering fatty foods rather than vitamin rich ones, in order to increase their scores.
There is an important underlying theme here. In relation to America’s test-oriented mindset, we must consider lunch program’s conduct from an ethical point of view. In the big picture, perhaps one bad meal within quality ones is not the end of the world. However, we must reflect on the fact that we are toying with the minds and bodies of children—notably children who really do not know their school is taking manipulating them. Increasing caloric and vitamin intake of these elementary school students for the sake of raising test scores shows that the educational system has its mind in the wrong place. This energy would be better used for long term learning. More specifically, American education should remove itself from the test oriented mindset and move towards putting emphasis on the material. That way, students eat healthier and have a better educational experience.
The National Bureau of Economic Research recently published a study on elementary schools trying to improve their test scores by “serving high-energy, low nutrition lunches on test days” (Carpenter, 2002). American schools are at risk of losing funding, among other destructive consequences, if their students do not perform well enough on standardized tests. To prevent loss, some schools try to offer high calorie lunches to their students to give them a boost. Of the schools examined in this study, at least one school in each district at risk for losing funding due to poor test scores offered altered lunches during testing days (Carpenter, 2002). These elementary schools offered lunches with 15% more calories, and cut down on nutrients, like vitamin A and C (Carpenter, 2002). On the other hand, schools that were not at risk for sanctions did not adjust their meals. The daunting result: schools that offered higher energy foods actually scored significantly higher than usual. As Cynthia Mears, a pediatrician from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, puts it: “If the schools are stooping this low to boost test scores, this is scary” (Carpenter, 2002). Ethical or not, it is impressive that one meal can affect an entire student population—elementary school lunches have a tremendous impact on their students.
So elementary school students apparently perform better with high caloric intake, but what role does vitamin consumption play? A blind study conducted by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association examined students from grades three to six (Perlman et al, 2010). Experimenters looked at the children’s’ test scores, grade point average, attendance, and tardiness in relation to taking multivitamins (Perlman et al, 2010). To much surprise, academic performance was hardly impacted (Perlman et al, 2010). GPA’s, attendance, tardiness, and importantly test scores were relatively unchanged for either the experimental or placebo group (Perlman et al, 2010). Synthesizing these two studies, it appears that schools may begin to sacrifice the health of its students, offering fatty foods rather than vitamin rich ones, in order to increase their scores.
There is an important underlying theme here. In relation to America’s test-oriented mindset, we must consider lunch program’s conduct from an ethical point of view. In the big picture, perhaps one bad meal within quality ones is not the end of the world. However, we must reflect on the fact that we are toying with the minds and bodies of children—notably children who really do not know their school is taking manipulating them. Increasing caloric and vitamin intake of these elementary school students for the sake of raising test scores shows that the educational system has its mind in the wrong place. This energy would be better used for long term learning. More specifically, American education should remove itself from the test oriented mindset and move towards putting emphasis on the material. That way, students eat healthier and have a better educational experience.
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