DC Accepted Papers Paper:
Impact of Universal Free Meals on Student Nutrition, Behavior, and Academic Performance in Maryland
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Background: Schools participating in CEP, a federal provision of the National School Lunch Program that became available nationally in 2014, provide universal free meals to all students regardless of income. The provision was designed to decrease food insecurity by increasing meal participation in high-poverty schools, while reducing stigma associated with school meal participation. In School Year 2018-2019, approximately two thirds of eligible schools – or 28,614 schools serving 13.4 million low-income children – participated in CEP. Most participating schools are urban, elementary schools, and serve predominantly Hispanic and Black children. By improving nutrition and reducing stigma, CEP has the potential to improve behavior and academic performance among vulnerable children. Yet to date, little research has measured the impact of CEP on student nutrition, behavior, or academic outcomes in participating schools.
Project Description: This study uses causal inference methods to identify the impact of school participation in CEP on a range of student nutrition, behavior, and academic outcomes, comparing participating to eligible nonparticipating schools in Maryland over time.
Methods: We use a comparative interrupted time series design combined with propensity score weighting methods to assess the change in student outcomes over time in Maryland participating schools (n=204) compared to eligible nonparticipating schools (n=294). We use school demographic information (e.g., enrollment, locale) from the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and school-level outcome data from the Maryland Department of Education for School Years 2010-2011 (five years prior to CEP adoption) through 2018-2019 (four years after adoption). School-level student outcomes include: average daily breakfast and lunch participation, suspensions and expulsions, disciplinary referrals for bullying or harassment, math and reading test scores, and rates of attendance, chronic absenteeism (absent ≥ 20 days/year), grade promotion, graduation, and dropout. We will conduct sensitivity analyses excluding Baltimore City, and comparing changes in outcomes separately by school level (elementary, middle, high).
Findings: Analysis for this study is ongoing and will be complete by March 1, 2020. We will present the estimated average impact of CEP participation on each outcome, and compare changes in outcomes one, two, three and four years post-implementation. Results from this study can inform advocacy efforts and decisions by federal policymakers related to funding allocation for school meals. Additionally, given one third of eligible schools do not participate in CEP, findings can guide decisions by school administrators regarding provision uptake. This study is timely because debate over funding for CEP is ongoing as part of Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
