56.038 - Education Policy and Social Issues: The Balancing Act of Implementing Federal School Food Policy

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium brings together a set of studies concerned with school food. By studying school food through the lens of federal policy and local implementation, the four papers contribute to the fields of education, food access, and policy implementation. Panelists will present original, empirical research on various aspects of the implementation of the Child Nutrition Act. For example, one paper explicates the role of school food service management companies in setting local level priorities whereas another paper compares two different lunch programs and their effects on student educational experiences. Taken together, these papers argue for the continued study of school food for understanding the role of education policy in addressing broader social issues.

Sub Unit

• Division L - Educational Policies and Politics / Division L - Section 8: Social Policy and Education

Chair

• Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower, University of North Dakota

Papers

• Implementing Federal School Food Policy at the Local Level: Reshaping the School Food Landscape to Advance Educational Equity - Christyna Serrano, University of California - Berkeley

• Privatizing the Lunchroom: Operational Dynamics and Consequences for School Food Programs - Helena Lyson, Berkeley University of California

• Hunger and Fullness: How Low-Income Urban Students Experience School Food Policy Through Two Programs - Erin Cassar, Temple University

Discussant

• Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower, University of North Dakota