Jacob Kirksey, University of California, Santa Barbara - School Breakfast and Schooling Outcomes: Does Meal Location Matter?

Title: School Breakfast and Schooling Outcomes: Does Meal Location Matter?

Abstract: This research examined the role that serving breakfast after-the-bell (BAB) might play on helping to boost academic and non-academic outcomes. Drawing from data from a nationally representative cohort of kindergarteners in the U.S. (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Class of 2010-11) as well as administrative data from several states in the U.S., this study utilized fixed effects and fuzzy regression discontinuity models to evaluate the effect of BAB on various outcomes with a particular focus on absenteeism. From the national data, results suggest that students in schools that serve BAB exhibited fewer absences, lower odds of chronic absenteeism, better reading achievement, and fewer internalizing behavior problems. Findings from the state data sources also suggest a reduction in rates of chronic absenteeism at the school-level. Implications for policy are discussed.

Presenter: Jacob Kirksey, University of California, Santa Barbara

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