Introduction
Educational institutions offer opportunities for students from different backgrounds to acquire knowledge and skills. An enabling environment must be created to ensure that all students have a chance to achieve their respective goals. School policies are paramount in creating safe and effective environments for students to learn (Coelho & de Lima Constantino, 2020). Hunger may jeopardize learning in schools, especially for low-income students. School feeding policy helps alleviate hunger and offers a conducive learning environment.
School Meals Policy
Students need adequate and healthy meals to develop their brains and enhance learning. Childhood hunger is still a pressing concern in the USA, and some students from low-income backgrounds may not have access to adequate food. About 41 million Americans, including 13 million children, do not have access to food (Turner et al., 2019). Since poverty and lack of adequate food may deprive American children of quality education, the meals are meant to cater to all students’ nutritional needs regardless of their income. Once all children are provided with meals in school which improve their brain development, they have an equal opportunity to learn.
The main contributor to the school meals policy is Richard B. Russell, an American politician who served in the 66th parliament. He proposed the national school lunch program to help learners from less privileged neighbourhoods. President Harry Truman signed the bill into law in 1946 (Turner et al., 2019). The stakeholders’ interests are reflected in the policy, and it improves students, parents, and teachers’ well-being. The students are the key beneficiaries, and they receive nutritional meals, which help them achieve their goals in school. Further, the stigma emanating from hunger is alleviated by giving all students an equal opportunity as learners (Sipple et al., 2020). The teachers benefit by starting their lessons on time as the meals are consistent with the school’s objectives.
Parents and non-teaching staff in the schools are also beneficiaries of the policy. While the policy provides employment opportunities for people who prepare meals in schools, it also allows parents to focus on other student needs. When the parents do not have to worry about their children’s meals, they have ample time to work hard and provide for other needs (Turner et al., 2019). The school meal policy is quintessential in the provision of quality education.
Alternative Policy
An alternative policy in the educational realm that can lead to similar or better results is every student succeeds act (ESSA). The bill was proposed by Senator Lamar Alexander in April 2015 in the house for debate. After passing the parliamentary procedures, it was signed into law by President Barrack Obama on December 10, 2015 (PÉrez, 2018). The policy makes the education acquisition process holistic and involves all relevant stakeholders to help students achieve their goals.
Process Standpoint
The policy realizes that many factors affect students’ education, including the home environment, educators, and communities. A student’s success follows a unique process of uniting all relevant stakeholders. The policy proposes that every student is treated as a particular case to ensure that each student has a chance to exploit their potential. Making students succeed is made possible when vital information regarding the student is offered to educators, families, and tutors to offer a more customized approach for each student (Knight, 2019). Improved school-family relationships strengthen the learning process.
Achievement of Goals Standpoint
Goal setting and achievement is an essential features of the American education system. The policy allows all students to achieve their goals regardless of their background. For example, children from low-income families who are needy have a chance to advance their careers through support from the federal government. Under the policy, no student can be deprived of access to higher education (PÉrez, 2018). Transitioning from high school to higher education institutions has made it possible for all students who reach the qualification regardless of their financial background.
Stakeholder Benefit Standpoint
The ESSA policy is beneficial to all stakeholders at all educational levels. Students are the primary beneficiaries as they are likely to achieve their goals regardless of their family background. Previously, students from low-income families would not have access to higher education regardless of their performance. The teachers benefit from the policy since they have more time to interact with the students and teach effectively. The parents benefit from the school-family partnership, increasing interactions and improving their quality of life (Knight, 2019). It is prudent to note that the ESSA policy encourages equity and quality learning and gives a chance to all stakeholders to improve the quality of learning.
Conclusion
Effective policies are paramount to making learning institutions conducive for all students, regardless of their background. Education policies in the USA have been evolving to meet the population’s dynamic needs. The school meals policy played a significant role in ensuring that all students have access to nutritious meals for better learning. The policy improved the transition rate as all the students could not be held back by hunger. The alternative policy that can produce similar or better results is the ESSA policy which ensures that every student succeeds regardless of their background. Under the ESSA policy, the learning process is holistic, and all stakeholders participate in the student’s success. The achievement of the goal is made possible by ensuring that every student has a chance to further their education. Education policies must be revised regularly to ensure they serve the stakeholder’s needs.
References
Coelho, M. N., & de Lima Constantino, F. (2020). Contributions of Brazilian educational policies: Possibilities for dialogue and valuing ethnic and racial diversity in the school context. International Journal of Roma Studies, 41-63.
Knight, D. S. (2019). Are school districts allocating resources equitably? The Every Student Succeeds Act, teacher experience gaps, and equitable resource allocation. Educational Policy, 33(4), 615–649.
PÉrez, M. S. (2018). What Does the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Mean for Early Childhood Education? A History of NCLB’s Impact on Early Childhood Education and Insights for the Future under ESSA. Teachers College Record, 120(13), 1–18.
Sipple, L. R., Barbano, D. M., & Drake, M. (2020). Invited review: Maintaining and growing fluid milk consumption by children in school lunch programs in the United States. Journal of dairy science, 103(9), 7639–7654.
Turner, L., Guthrie, J. F., & Ralston, K. (2019). Community eligibility and other provisions for universal free meals at school impact student breakfast and lunch participation in California public schools. Translational behavioural medicine, 9(5), 931–941.