Welcoming Child Nutrition to the Student Achievement Planning Table Phyllis Bramson-Paul, MPPA Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Nutrition Services Division Director California Department of Education July 13, 2010 9:45-10:45 AM 6.2.10-ho version

Overview Achievement and Health Gap Connection Why School Wellness Matters For All Students Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap What Child Nutrition Directors Can Do! 2 2

What is the Achievement Gap? Disparity between: White and other Ethnic groups Socio-Economically Disadvantaged and Non-Disadvantaged 3

The Achievement Gap Facts Who has the lowest academic performance? Hispanic/Latino, African-American and low-income students The achievement gap is nationwide! The gap gets worse from 4th grade to graduation 4

Highlights of The Nation’s Report Card National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) http://nationsreportcard.gov/ 5

NAEP tell a consistent and widely cited story of the racial achievement gap 6

Below Basic in Many States 7

Low-income students achieve and attain less than high-income students 8 8

Low-Income White Students Still Academically Outperform 9

The Achievement and Health Gap …strong connection! 10 10

Health & Achievement Gap It’s the Same Children! Source: Office of Minority Health, CDC Anemia: 2x Higher rates-African American & Hispanic compared to Caucasian Poor Dental Health: 2-3x Higher rates Asthma: 60% Higher rates Childhood Obesity: 1.5 to 2 X Higher rates 11 11

A Physical Fitness Gap Exists Too Fitness Assessment (Fitness Gram) Measures 6 areas of physical fitness Aerobic capacity, body mass, strength & flexibility Hispanics/Latinos and African-American Students typically score lower 12

African Americans and Hispanics Score Lower on Aerobic Capacity 70% 58% 52% 53% % California Students with a Healthy Aerobic Capacity 13 Reference: http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/

African Americans and Hispanics Score Lower On Body Composition (more overweight) 78% 66% 63%1 % California Students with a Healthy Body Composition 14 Reference: http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/

Why School Wellness Matters for All Students ….It Helps Close the Achievement Gap 15

School Wellness is a Culture Not a Program! A healthy school environment: Built through everyday actions of school life Uniquely connected to effective learning Supports the physical, mental, emotional and social well-being of the whole school What’s Right for Kids 2 http://dpi.state.wi.us/fscp/pdf/tnbooklt2.pdf 16 16 16

Investing in School Wellness…. High Rate of Return Academic Resources Increased readiness to learn Better academic achievement Staffing Fewer visits to school nurse Fewer behavior problems Funds As school wellness increases the ADA goes up 17

Coordinated School Health Approach Improves Academic Achievement Evaluations from 20 different initiatives with CSH showed that 75% improved academic achievement Improved attendance Reduced discipline problems Greater assignment completion Increased contact with caring adults Blank, MJ, Shah BP. Educators and Community Sharing Responsibility for Student Learning. INFO Brief, ASCD, January 2004, 36, 1-11. 18

Health Improves Learning Poor nutrition decreases cognitive functioning and performance in the areas of language, concentration, and attention. Students with the highest fitness scores have the highest SAT-9 scores. Jim Sallis Wehler, Scott, & Anderson 19

Breakfast Improves Test Scores Which schools have the highest API scores? It’s those with students who had higher rates of eating breakfast. 20 Source: California Healthy Kids Survey & CDE’s API Research and STAR data files.

Health Improves Attendance and Behavior Eating Breakfast linked to: Improved classroom behavior Decreased absenteeism and tardiness Students with poor nutrition & physical fitness more likely to be absent and tardy Very overweight students miss 4-6 times more school than normal weight kids About 9 days a year 21 21 21

Health Impacts School Budget Cost of Students being out one day a year: A single-day absence costs the district between $9-$20 per day-unhealthy students miss more school Reference: Action for Healthy Kids: The Learning Connection 2005, www.actionforhealthykids.org Los Angeles Unified $15 million a year Average Size District $100,000 or more 22 22 22 22

Meal Participation Impacts School Budget Most schools get 4% to 5% indirect added to the general fund from meal revenues 23

[Anonymous] District in California Breakfast-Do the Math! [Anonymous] District in California 56% of students who ate FRP school lunch did not eat school breakfast $5.5 million in lost federal meal reimbursements $220,000 in lost “indirect” funds 24 Source: CDE - Nutrition Services Division data for 2008-09 SY 24

What Child Nutrition Directors Can Do! 25 25

Health! The Missing Link in School Reforms to Close the Achievement Gap “Healthier Students are Better Learners” Research Review from Columbia University March 2010 Breakfast –one of the seven health factors cited: Recommendations: universal breakfast, breakfast in the classroom, eliminating competitive foods www.equitycampaign.org/ 26

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Steps to Getting Started 1. Start with your own program Pleasant eating spaces Appealing menus and presentation-market your program! Engage students –survey those who eat and those who don’t Turn cafeterias into classrooms 2. Extend yourself Data Evaluation- link to nutrition needs for high-risk students District Committees and District Plans Wellness Committee- get it going and keep it going Other Committees- Program improvement, achievement, site council, facilities planning, budget meetings-be part of all plans! Board Presentation, Principal Lunch n’ Learns PTA, Teacher’s meetings 28

Your Turn! Discuss in Small Groups One way you could: support academic achievement through health and nutrition 29

A Good Resource School Nutrition Association Report http://www.schoolnutrition.org/Content.aspx?id=8086 30

Make Wellness a Culture In Your District and Your Schools! Questions? Phyllis Bramson-Paul, MPPA pbramson@cde.ca.gov 31 31