Free Lunch Analysis

75 percent of students attend school hungry according to No Kid Hungry’s annual survey in 2014. Many things could go wrong with school lunches, such as the nutrition, where it comes from, and more specifically, the cost. Many students live in poverty, and cannot afford school lunch. This is why many schools are jumping on the idea of free and reduced lunch, which is where students with lower income receive a reduced price on their lunch, or even get it for free. More schools should support free and reduced lunch so students can obtain the nutrition they need for better learning capabilities.

In the article The Intellectual Free Lunch, the Wall Street Journal focuses on a middle-class group of white men that are mad at welfare and lobbyists. The thesis “Washington should stop sending money aboard and instead zero in on the domestic front”. The thesis explains that the Americans government need to spend more money on our own country and less on foreign aid. Basically, stop sending money out of our country or giving free handouts. Instead we need to focus on our own nation and help build our economics first, before giving money and resulting us to overspend our budget.

The Federal Pell Grant program’s purpose is to provide financially needy students with a foundation of post-secondary educational support. As low income earners continue to lack the skills necessary for skilled labor careers, and the demand for low skilled labor decreases, the wage gap will increase. As the wage gap increases, so would the need for effective social welfare funded by the government via taxpayer dollars. Pell grants are meant to offer students with an opportunity to break the cycle of being economically disadvantaged, and the program gives them a chance to improve their economic situation, and thus, society as a whole.

The U.S. government has created a new strategy to make colleges more affordable for low income students. Federal student aid’s primary goal is to help as many students attend college as possible. Financial aid and Pell Grants help low income students who meet certain academic criteria cover the costs of tuition. Low income students are getting a chance to attend college and increase graduation rates from four-year institutions to help close the poverty gap. Colleges and universities should make low income high school students aware of programs that will help them enroll and afford their education. Schools teach low income students that college is a key to their financial independence and a better life. High schools teach Seniors that in order to improve your social standing, employment options and salary expectations, a college education is often necessary. Financial aid is central to the successful enrollment and retention of low-income students. The majority of these students (90 percent) getting financial assistance from government. By maximizing Pell grant award amounts for low-income students, reforming the student loan program, and eliminating bank subsidies, colleges and universities can be affordable.

33% of students who are currently on free school meals achieve 5A*-C at GCSE, however 61% of students who are not on free school meals also achieve 5A*-C grades. 90% of the failing school are from deprived areas, and 79% of children from a higher professional family are more likely to go to university, whilst only 15% of children from unskilled and manual backgrounds go to

The 2010 Condition of Education report showed that more than 16,000 U.S. public schools struggle with concentrated poverty. Additionally, U.S. schools saw a 5% increase in students eligible for free or reduced-price

The cost of American college tuitions are increasing sharply and getting out of control. The victim behind that increment is student who can’t afford paying school tuitions to get a college degree that will help to improve his/her quality of life. According to Sanford J. Ungar “The problem of costs goes beyond

All of the students are Economically Disadvantaged as evidenced by our 100% free and reduced lunch. Additionally, all students are At Risk as determined by one or more of the criteria defined by Section 31a eligibility worksheets. Therefore, Universal Academy will not be able to display separate data for At Risk students' subgroups.

On one end of the spectrum it is the cost of tuition. Then, on the other end it is the socioeconomic pressures that get in the way of poverty stricken individual that triggers them to not apply (Radford). Despite their ability, they never give themselves the chance to excel due to a separation in social status and class. Moreover, when high school students in low-income cities are not provided with information and resources to apply to college due to impersonal guidance and overstrained advisors, they do not receive the same assistance of those in higher-income municipalities (Radford). For this reason, mandated curriculum should be available to all levels of education in order to promote self-sufficiency and a promising path to get there. Educators and advisors shall have the resources they need to help all school age children to learn about the financial aspects of life.

In today’s society, the cost of attending college is so high that many students are unable to afford to. Consequently, fewer students from lower-income families attend college compared to those from higher-income families, despite the fact that the federal government supplies financial aid to those that are eligible. As a result of the rise in tuition, many young students no longer can afford college. College education should be free for those living below the poverty line so that they have access to attend college and to lift financial burdens from their families.

Government created financial aid to increase enrollment rates for higher education. Financial aid helps those in need to continue their education. However, financial aid does not help everyone. Society expects young adults to further their education and get good jobs, even with their limited incomes. These expectations drive increases in the price of college dramatically each year. When tuition increases, middle class families struggle to afford their child’s education, resulting in students working to pay for college if they fail to qualify for financial aid. Numerous criteria for financial aid exist, so many middle-class students find it difficult to afford college. Colleges should grant more financial aid to those students working to support themselves and their families.

The population increase across the United States has also significantly impacted the socioeconomic status of the student population. The low income and poverty level of students has been increasing. In 2013 approximately 21 percent of school aged children were living among poverty. ( ) This is a vast amount of students within the population that are affected. Living in poverty can have a significant impact on the education of the student. An educator needs to be aware of the challenges and obstacles this may have on the students’education.

Financial Aid programs in the form of loans, although helpful in paying for college, do little to shorten the gap between high and low income students in higher education. The College Board, which is responsible for the SAT, AP, and other acclaimed standardized exams, states that, about two-thirds of full-time students pay for college with the help of financial aid, most of which is federally funded ("Federal & State AP Exam Fee Assistance,” 1) This is partly because college tuition and fees have surged 1,120 percent since 1978, causing the financial burden taken on by college applicants to become almost overwhelming (Jamrisko, 1). For this reason, financial aid is seen by low-income college applicants as a necessary means to attending college. In theory, the use of financial aids should encourage low-income people to attend college and provide equal opportunity between high and low-class students, however, it has no such effect. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, which is known for researching trends in professional environments, college enrollment in the U.S. among low income students is still 30% below that of high income students (Desilver, 1). As Tamy Luhby, an economist and author for CNN Money says, high income-students are still 8 times more likely to graduate with a degree. Although financial aid temporarily covers the cost of college, it is basically a system of debt accumulation due to fact that many low income students can only

Encouraging better nutrition in school is important because fewer kids would go hungry. In Michigan a child went to pay for his meal and his balance was unpaid so he was denied a lunch. The minute the principal found out he decided to do a school meal program that had students pay later or have lunch for free (Student Denied Meal Because of Negative Balance) This child out of many could not afford a meal and the school did something about it by getting a school meal program so no child will go without food again. The (USDA) U.S. Department of Agriculture is an act that gives money to pay for low-income students’ lunch. Studies show forty present of families are considered low income in the districts (Bass and Free Lunch Programs). This meaning forty percent of families cannot afford a meal for their children and a school meal program will give food to those children who need a lunch. Studies show in Kentucky, which was the first state to enroll in the school lunch program. Low income families are saving around $500 a year (Free Lunch Programs). When these families are saving $500 a year the

When taking all of the statistical demographic information into consideration, the classroom environment I have been observing and participating in starts to make more sense. For instance, while the students are typically kind hearted and eager to learn, they are more squirrely than students I have observed in slightly higher income areas. When looking at the free and reduced lunch numbers (83%) and the economically disadvantaged numbers (77.2%), this makes sense. While the cause of “squirrely behavior” is not directly associated with the school provisions for these disadvantages, it is associated with the disadvantages themselves. Because students parents are busy trying to economically get buy in low income households, buying healthy food