Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the.docx
Similar to Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the.docx (20)
More from juliennehar
More from juliennehar (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the.docx
- 1. Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the course material, help you refine skills, and demonstrate application of knowledge. You can work on a Touchstone anytime, but you can't submit it until you have completed the unit’s Challenges. Once you've submitted a Touchstone, it will be graded and counted toward your final course score. Touchstone 1.1: Engage with a Work of Research ASSIGNMENT: For this essay, you will select one of the articles provided below and engage in a 2-3 page summary and response dialogue with the source. This will involve providing a detailed summary of the source's argument and responding to that argument with your position based on the information provided in the source. Article Option 1: "The Recess Debate: A Disjuncture between Educational Policy and Scientific Research"Article Option 2: "Sugar in School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective"Sample Touchstone A. Assignment Guidelines DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines. 1. Article Summary ❒ Have you communicated the source's purpose? ❒ Have you included all of the source's main points? ❒ Have you restated the source's argument in your own words? 2. Article Response ❒ Have you provided your perspective on the source's argument?
- 2. ❒ Have you used specific examples from the source to illustrate why you either agree or disagree with the argument? 3. Reflection ❒ Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses? ❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment? B. Reflection Questions DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions. 1. What ideas originally came to mind when you first read through the article? Did your initial response to the article change after reading it for a second time? (3-4 sentences) 2. How does paying attention to the way you respond to a source help you formulate your stance on a topic? (2-3 sentences) C. Rubric Advanced (90-100%) Proficient (80-89%) Acceptable (70-79%) Needs Improvement (50-69%) Non-Performance (0-49%) Source Summary Summarize the main argument of a research source. Provides a complete and accurate summary of the article’s main purpose and argument in the writer’s own words.
- 3. Provides an accurate summary of the article’s main purpose and argument in the writer’s own words. Provides an accurate summary, but relies too heavily on source quotations. Provides an incomplete summary of the article’s main purpose and argument and/or relies too heavily on source quotations. Does not provide a complete and accurate summary of the article’s main purpose and argument in the writer’s own words. Source Response Articulate a response to the argument presented in a research source. Constructs a thoughtful and academically appropriate response to the source, including samples from the source that relate to the response. Constructs an academically appropriate response to the source, including samples from the source that relate to the response. Constructs an academically appropriate response to the source, but could include more samples from the source that relate to the response. Constructs a response to the source, but does not include samples that relate to the response. Does not construct an academically appropriate response to the source and/or does not include samples from the source that relate to the response. Organization Exhibit competent organizational writing techniques. Includes all of the required components of a summary and response essay, including an introduction with an engaging summary of the source's argument, body paragraphs containing a detailed and thoughtful response to the argument, and a conclusion with a concluding statement. Includes all of the required components of a summary and response essay, including an introduction with a summary of the source's argument, body paragraphs containing a response to the
- 4. argument, and a conclusion with a concluding statement. Includes nearly all of the required components of summary and response essay; however, one component is missing. Includes most of the required components of a summary and response essay, but is lacking two components; sequences ideas and paragraphs such that the connections between ideas (within and between paragraphs) are sometimes unclear and the reader may have difficulty following the progression of the essay. Lacks several or all of the components of a summary and response essay; sequences ideas and paragraphs such that the connections between ideas (within and between paragraphs) are often unclear and the reader has difficulty following the progression of the essay. Style Establish a consistent, informative tone and make thoughtful stylistic choices. Demonstrates thoughtful and effective word choices, avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a wide variety of sentence structures. Demonstrates effective word choices, primarily avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a variety of sentence structures. Demonstrates generally effective style choices, but may include occasional redundancies, imprecise language, poor word choice, and/or repetitive sentence structures. Frequently includes poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures. Consistently demonstrates poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures. Conventions Follow conventions for standard written English. There are only a few, if any, negligible errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are occasional minor errors in grammar, punctuation,
- 5. spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are some significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are frequent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are consistent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. Reflection Answer reflection questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; consistently includes insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses, following or exceeding response length guidelines. Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes multiple insights, observations, and/or examples, following response length guidelines. Primarily demonstrates thoughtful reflection, but some responses are lacking in detail or insight; primarily follows response length guidelines. Shows limited reflection; the majority of responses are lacking in detail or insight, with some questions left unanswered or falling short of response length guidelines. No reflection responses are present. D. Requirements The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded: · Composition must be 2-3 pages (approximately 500-750 words). · Double-space the composition and use one-inch margins. · Use a readable 12-point font. · All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
- 6. · Composition must be original and written for this assignment. · Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited. · Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition. · Include all of the assignment components in a single file. · Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, and .pdf. E. Additional Resources The following resources will be helpful to you as you work on this assignment: 1. Purdue Online Writing Lab's APA Formatting and Style Guide . This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation types. a. Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style . This page on the official APA website addresses common questions related to APA formatting. The "References," "Punctuation," and "Grammar and Writing Style" sections will be the most useful to your work in this course. a. APA Style: Quick Answers—References . This page on the official APA Style website provides numerous examples of reference list formatting for various source types. HeadSize,BrainWeight,Gender,Smarter 4512,1530,M,0 3738,1297,F,0 4261,1335,F,0
- 13. ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, © 2008 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois The Recess Debate A Disjuncture between Educational Policy and Scientific Research • Anthony D. Pellegrini Some devalue recess because they assume it to be a waste of time. There is no theory or empirical evidence to support this point of view. There is,
- 14. however, abundant and clear evidence that recess has beneficial effects on children’s social competence and academic performance. The author tells how his interest in standardized tests led him to years of recess study, compares recess survey findings in the United States to those in the United Kingdom, and summarizes the benefits of recess for school performance. Recess has been part of the school day for as long as we can remem- ber. Typically, most people have considered what children do during recess as merely “playful.” Adults usually regard it as a break from the serious work of the day—reading, writing, and arithmetic—while kids often say, perhaps only half-jokingly, that it is their favorite time. Because what goes on at recess does not appear serious, some claim it interferes with the “educational” mis- sion of schools. This perception has led many districts to question the need for recess. Since I explored this trend in considerable detail three years ago in Recess: Its Role in Education and Development, recess has remained under attack in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The debate over recess began around the same time (the early 1980s) in both countries and revolves around similar issues in both places. The onslaughts against recess persist today, even
- 15. in the face of significant research supporting its educational value, a lack of research supporting a contrary view, and a rising awareness of the importance of play in general. Thus, it is useful to look anew at the arguments for and against recess and to be reminded of what the evidence does and does not show. AMJP 01_2 text.indd 181 9/8/08 4:07:23 PM 182 A m E R I C A N J O u R N A L O F P L A Y • F a l l 2 0 0 8 The Argument against Recess Breaks during the school day, like breaks from work on the factory assembly lines, have existed for nearly as long as each of those institutions has existed. Indeed, the rationale for breaks in both is very similar: after a reasonable amount of work, you need a break, if for no other reason than it may help you to be more productive. If you have never worked on an assembly line or do not remember your primary school days, perhaps you can remember driving on a long trip. You probably recall that the longer you drove the less attentive (and less safe) you became. If you pulled over for a rest or a break, you were more attentive (and safer) after you started again. This explains why
- 16. many states have laws governing the length of time truckers and airline pilots can drive or fly without a break. This rather simple but powerful and widely understood benefit of breaks has not deterred a group, generally comprised of school administrators, from reducing recess time or eliminating recess all together from the school day. The reasons these “no nonsense” school superintendents and principals, as well as many politicians, most often give are twofold. First, they claim that recess is a waste of valuable time that could be more profitably used for instruction. Sec- ond, they claim that during recess kids get bullied and that on the playground they learn aggression. Politicians and school administrators often use the first argument—recess is a waste of instructional time—to demonstrate that they “mean business” in making schools more effective. A number of years ago, then Atlanta Public Schools superintendent Benjamin Canada and I discussed the role of recess in schools on the Good Morning America TV show. I was touted as the “expert” on recess, whereas Canada had made national news for proudly eliminating recess in Atlanta schools and replacing it with physical education. He claimed that by eliminating recess from the whole school system he had raised achievement scores. Recess, he said, was a waste of time, and kids did not
- 17. learn by “hanging on monkey bars.” They could just as easily “blow off steam” in physical education while at the same time learning useful skills. When pressed by both me and the TV host for evidence of how achievement had gone up as a result of eliminating recess, Canada did not provide supporting data, and to my knowledge no one has ever presented data to uphold such a claim. The evidence is exactly the opposite of Canada’s claims. As I shall summa- rize below, in numerous controlled experiments children’s attention to school AMJP 01_2 text.indd 182 9/8/08 4:07:24 PM tasks decreased the longer they were deprived of a break and, correspondingly, children were significantly more attentive after recess than before. It is very much like taking a break on a long highway trip. Contrary to popular belief, physical education classes do not provide such a benefit. In 2001, the Council on Physical Education for Children, a national organization of physical education teachers, denounced the idea of replacing recess with physical education, although the council had a vested interested in promoting physical education. As the council members would surely agree, physical education—like other instructional disciplines— rightfully imposes
- 18. rigorous demands on children and adolescents so as to stretch their skills. Therefore, it seems clear, the demands of a physical education class do not constitute a break. The second argument—that during recess, especially playground recess, kids get bullied—also has flaws. It is true that kids get bullied on playgrounds, but they get bullied in cafeterias, too, and in hallways, in bathrooms, in locker rooms, just about anywhere with little or no adult supervision. Even so, the base rate of aggression on playgrounds is incredibly low. Specifically, of all the behaviors observed on preschool and primary school playgrounds in many countries, physical and verbal aggression account for less than 2 percent of the total (Pellegrini 1995; Smith and Connolly 1980). The fact that rates of aggression are low at recess does not mean there are no incidents that damage kids. Aggressive behavior can be intense even when its rates of occurrence are low, and where there is intense aggression, people get hurt. However, adult supervision of recess periods, like adult supervision of the cafeteria and the hallways between classes, has a potent effect on dampening aggression (Pellegrini 2002). Contrary to the negative-behavior argument, recess remains one of the only times during the school day when children have time and opportunities to interact with their peers on their own terms. Through interaction at
- 19. recess, children learn social skills, such as how to cooperate and compromise and how to inhibit ag- gression. Eliminating or reducing recess destroys these learning opportunities. Why Study Recess? One Researcher’s Journey Before examining the research in favor of recess, I should note how I came to it. As an academic psychologist, I should be concerned with the ways in T h e R e c e s s D e b a t e 183 AMJP 01_2 text.indd 183 9/8/08 4:07:24 PM 184 A m E R I C A N J O u R N A L O F P L A Y • F a l l 2 0 0 8 which children learn and develop in school. Studying recess and how children become socially competent seems a more legitimate venue for an educational psychologist. However, having investigated the role of children’s play in their social and cognitive development for many years, especially play fighting (Pel- legrini and Smith 1998; Pellegrini 2002, 2003) and the games of boys and girls on school playgrounds (Pellegrini et al. 2002), the study of recess seemed a logical extension. My interest in school recess was really piqued by the debate
- 20. over the role of recess in Georgia in the early 1990s (well before Benjamin Canada’s claims on Good Morning America) and the simultaneous use of standardized tests as the sole criterion for the promotion of children from kindergarten to first grade. As part of this—in my view, very questionable—venture, there was talk of eliminating recess so kids could spend more time on the “important skills” necessary to pass the tests. The argument went like this: test scores are declining, and so given the limited number of hours in the school day, it makes sense to eliminate or minimize a practice that is trivial at best and, in any case, antitheti- cal to more serious educational enterprise. My first reaction to the testing question was disbelief. We have known for decades that kindergarteners are unreliable test takers (Messick 1983). Kids tend not to perform consistently across time. For example, they could score in the 99th percentile on Tuesday, but if they retook the very same test on Wednesday, they could score in the 65th percentile. If they took it a third time on Thursday, they could score in the 99th percentile again. The different scores could be due to something as simple as a swing in motivation related to a change in the testing environment. (I observed this particular example in my own daughter’s experience.) Because children are unreliable test takers, it is important for
- 21. educators to use a number of different assessment strategies. Tests can and should be used, but in conjunction with other measures, such as attendance, grades, teacher evaluations, and observations of behavioral competence. When all of these things are aggregated, we get a more valid picture (Cronbach 1971). When the testing question arose in Georgia, I had been studying rough and tumble play on the school playground during recess for several years. As part of this research I had access to test scores from kindergarten through at least first grade. I knew that what kids did on the playground required pretty high levels of social cognitive competence, and I knew that kids were motivated to implement those skills on the playground because they enjoyed interacting with AMJP 01_2 text.indd 184 9/8/08 4:07:24 PM their peers. So I wondered if what kindergarten children did on the playground could be a valid predictor of their first-grade achievement, as measured by a standardized test. That is, does kindergarten playground behavior predict first- grade test scores, even after we control statistically for academic achievement in kindergarten? In essence, I wanted to know if there was predictive academic
- 22. value in what kindergarteners did at recess, beyond that information provided in their kindergarten academic achievement, as measured by a standardized test score. How much did recess activities tell us, beyond test scores, about how well kindergarteners would do in first grade? My hypothesis was that the recess behavior would tell us a great deal. After all, when kids are on the playground they are typically interacting with their peers, and to do so takes some pretty sophisticated skills. For example, to play cooperatively with their peers, children have to be able and willing to see things from the perspectives of their peers, use compromise to resolve conflicts, follow the rules of play and games, and use language to negotiate all of this. Indeed, we know that the types of language kids use to negotiate conflicts and compromise are very similar to the language of school instruction (Heath 1983) and the language of literacy (Pellegrini and Galda 1982). Further, when kids manipulate and build with playground materials and when they play games—such as tag—with their peers, they are motivated to marshal their social cognitive resources. Children generally like to interact with their peers at recess, so they try their best to initiate and sustain play. For instance, one may have to compromise (share a toy or a turn) in order to continue to play with one’s best friend. One typically does this because one is
- 23. motivated to do so, perhaps more so than to perform on an achievement test. Tests, at least for most young kids, are not very motivating. These kindergarten behavioral measures that I developed and adminis- tered did indeed predict first-grade achievement, beyond the kindergarten test scores. That is, these playground behaviors were correlated with first-grade test scores, even after kindergarten test scores were statistically controlled. This reinforces the notion that multiple measures should be used in “high-stakes” assessments. In an effort to change policy in the state of Georgia, my friend and colleague Carl Glickman and I wrote articles for such publications as the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Principal to publicize our finding to the general public and educators of young children. Afterward, testing policies changed in Georgia, but efforts to minimize or eliminate recess continued to grow, both in the United T h e R e c e s s D e b a t e 185 AMJP 01_2 text.indd 185 9/8/08 4:07:24 PM 186 A m E R I C A N J O u R N A L O F P L A Y • F a l l 2 0 0 8 States and the United Kingdom, where I was also conducting research. Policy
- 24. makers, teachers, parents, newspapers, and radio and television stations in both countries began contacting me and asking about recess. The Reduction of Recess in the united States and the united Kingdom An important barometer of prevailing perceptions of the importance of recess is the way in which recess time has eroded across the last fifteen years. One of the first surveys of recess in the United States was conducted in 1989 by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), which kindly sent me their findings. The survey went to school superintendents in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Responses were received from forty-seven states and showed that recess existed, in some form, in 90 percent of all school districts. Generally, individual schools (87 percent of those reporting) set re- cess policy. Consequently, there was significant variation both within school districts and within states. Ninety-six percent of the schools with recess had it once or twice per day. In 75 percent of the schools with recess, it lasted fifteen to twenty minutes. The survey did not report what form that recess took or whether organized physical education was counted as recess. Indeed, about one-half of the districts with recess had “structured” times. Regarding recess supervision, the survey indicated that teachers assumed
- 25. responsibility in 50 percent of the cases and teachers’ aides in 36 percent. Among the aides, 86 percent had no formal training for supervision. This is not a trivial finding. A well-trained supervisor can both support the positive social interac- tions of children and guard against aggression and bullying. Ten years later, the U.S. Department of Education surveyed recess in kin- dergarten. According to a summary provided to the author by Ithel Jones, As- sociate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Florida State University, 71 percent of surveyed kindergartens reported having a daily recess period; 14.6 percent had recess three to four times per week; 6.7 percent had recess one to two times per week; and 7.7 percent had no recess. Regarding the duration of recess, 27 percent had thirty minutes; 67 percent had sixteen to thirty minutes; and 6 percent had less than fifteen minutes. Children attending private kinder- gartens were twice as likely to have recess as children attending public schools: 48.3 percent vs. 22.2 percent. AMJP 01_2 text.indd 186 9/8/08 4:07:24 PM While a direct comparison with the 1989 survey is not possible, there are some interesting points to consider. Most interesting is that in kindergarten only 70 percent of the children had daily recess. If there is one grade
- 26. where we would assume that all children would have recess daily, it would be kindergarten. In the late 1990s, British psychologist Peter Blatchford and colleagues (Blatch- ford and Sumpner 1998) conducted a national survey of recess (called “break time” in England) in primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom. Their 60 percent return rate produced a sample of 6 percent of all English schools. Importantly, recess in the United Kingdom is uniform compared to recess in the United States. In the United Kingdom, schools have a morning, lunch, and after- noon break. The Blatchford survey showed that while students across all grades had breaks, the duration decreased with age. Children in infant school (five to seven years of age) had ninety-three minutes; children in junior school (seven to eleven years of age) had eighty-three minutes; and children in secondary school (eleven to sixteen years of age) had seventy-seven minutes. Clearly, English chil- dren had much more recess than their American counterparts, and the duration of the periods seemed more sensitive to the maturity of the students. There is, however, a movement against recess in the United Kingdom as well. The issues propelling this movement are very similar to those in the United States and have been very evident in the media. There, too, pressure has resulted in a reduction in break time. Within the five-year period from
- 27. 1990–1991 to 1995–1996, 38 percent and 35 percent, respectively, of junior and secondary schools reduced the lunch break. Among infant schools, 26 percent reduced the lunch break and 12 percent eliminated the afternoon break. Twenty-seven percent of the junior schools and 14 percent of the secondary schools eliminated the afternoon break. One would think that such drastic change should be directed by empirical support, but, no, on the contrary, research supports keeping recess in schools. Benefits of Recess for School Performance There are two main arguments for the continued presence of recess in pri- mary schools. The first is evidence of how learning benefits from “distributed practice” (like the example of taking a break during highway driving noted earlier), which recess affords. The second concerns the development of cogni- tive efficiency and how recess may especially facilitate learning in younger and T h e R e c e s s D e b a t e 187 AMJP 01_2 text.indd 187 9/8/08 4:07:25 PM 188 A m E R I C A N J O u R N A L O F P L A Y • F a l l 2 0 0 8
- 28. cognitively immature children. Both of these arguments propose that benefits associated with recess are immediate, that is, they occur almost simultaneously with the recess behaviors themselves. Massed vs. distributed practice We have known for many years (e.g., Ebinghaus 1885; James 1901) that children learn better and more quickly when their efforts toward a task are distributed rather than concentrated or when they are given breaks during tasks (Hunter 1929). As psychologist Frank Dempster pointed out (1988), the positive effects of distributed effort have been seen specifically in the ways children learn how to conduct numerous school-like tasks, such as mastering native- and foreign- language vocabularies, text materials, and math facts. Laboratory studies have yielded reliable and robust findings, documenting the efficacy of task spacing on learning. Indeed, the theory has been supported by research with humans across the life span and with a variety of other animals. Classroom studies have been less frequent, and generally the results less supportive of the theory. Factors associated with the nature of a task (e.g., simple vs. complex) seem to influence the effects of distributed practice on classroom learning. However, when the nature of the criterion variable is changed from material learned to attention to the task at hand, the results of
- 29. the classroom research match those of the laboratory. Spacing of tasks may make them less boring and correspondingly facilitate attention. Attention to a task, in turn, may be important to subsequent learning (Dempster 1988). Given the positive effects of distributed practice on children’s attention to school tasks, it seems puzzling that it has not been more readily used in class- rooms. One possibility, as suggested by Dempster (1988), is that the complicated contingencies of running a school may not readily accommodate the added complexities of a distributed practice regimen. The solution to this conundrum is simple—use a well-established school institution, recess. Recess provides a break between school tasks, thus distributing practice. Developmental differences in cognitive efficiency Psychologist David F. Bjorklund and I have suggested previously (Pellegrini and Bjorklund 1997), based on Bjorklund’s theory of “cognitive immaturity” (Bjorklund and Green 1992), that the facilitative effects of breaks between peri- ods of intense work should be greater for younger than for older children. From our position, young children do not process most information as effectively AMJP 01_2 text.indd 188 9/8/08 4:07:25 PM
- 30. as older children. The immaturity of their nervous systems and their lack of experiences render them unable to perform higher-level cognitive tasks with the same efficiency as older children and adults, and this directly influences their educability. As a result, young children are especially susceptible to the effects of interference and should experience the greatest gains from breaks between focused intellectual activities, which recess provides. Evidence in support of this hypothesis can be found in the literature on memory and cognitive inhibition. Research using a wide range of tasks has shown that children are increasingly able, as they get older, to inhibit task-ir- relevant thoughts and to resist interference from task-irrelevant stimuli, and that such skills contribute significantly to overall cognitive functioning (e.g., Bjorklund and Harnishfeger 1990). Inhibition abilities have been proposed to play a significant role in attention, permitting children to focus on task-relevant information and not to be distracted by task-irrelevant, peripheral information. Such abilities have also been proposed to be of central importance to functional working-memory capacity. Young children have a difficult time keeping extra- neous information from entering short-term store. As a result, their working memories are often cluttered with irrelevant information, leaving less mental space for task-relevant information or for the execution of
- 31. cognitive strategies (Bjorklund and Harnishfeger 1990). From this perspective, there may be a general increase in interference when children perform a series of highly focused tasks, regardless of the nature of those tasks. Although one would predict that changing from one type of focused activity to another would yield some cognitive benefit, children (especially young children) may experience a continued buildup of interference with re- peated performance of even different highly focused tasks, and thus experi- ence greater benefit from a drastic change in activity, such as is afforded by recess. This is consistent with the evidence that younger children may require a greater change in activity or stimulus materials before they experience a re- lease from interference (e.g., Pellegrini and Bjorklund 1996). This should make school learning particularly difficult for young elementary school children, and opportunities to engage in non-focused, nonintellectual activities should af- ford them the needed respite to re-energize their nervous systems so that they can continue to learn in school. Consistent with this reasoning, recess periods across the school day should minimize cognitive interference. Importantly, instructional regimens, such as physical education, would not serve the same purpose.
- 32. T h e R e c e s s D e b a t e 189 AMJP 01_2 text.indd 189 9/8/08 4:07:25 PM 190 A m E R I C A N J O u R N A L O F P L A Y • F a l l 2 0 0 8 Conclusion Some devalue recess because they assume it to be—as they assume play in young children to be—a waste of time, time that could be otherwise more ef- ficiently spent. There is no theory or empirical evidence to support this point of view. The counter-argument, that recess is good, is backed by a large body of theory and empirical research. Those who advocate the elimination of recess should present sound theoretical and empirical support for their arguments or give them up and recognize the abundant and clear evidence that recess has beneficial effects on children’s social competence and academic perfor- mance. References Bjorklund, David F. 1978. Negative transfer in children’s recall of categorized materials. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 26:299–307. ———. 2004, first published 1989. Children’s thinking:
- 33. Developmental function and individual differences. 4th ed. Bjorklund, David F., and Brandi L. Green. 1992. The adaptive nature of cognitive im- maturity. American Psychologist 47:46–54. Bjorklund, David F., and Katherine K. Harnishfeger. 1990. The resources construct in cognitive development: Diverse sources of evidence and a theory of inefficient inhibition. Developmental Review 10:48–71. Bjorklund, David F., and Anthony D. Pellegrini. 2002. The origins of human nature: Evolutionary developmental psychology. Blatchford, Peter, and Clare Sumpner. 1998. What do we know about breaktime? Re- sults from a national survey of breaktime and lunchtime in primary and secondary schools. British Educational Research Journal 24:79–94. Cronbach, Lee J. 1971. Test validation. In Educational measurement, ed. Robert L. Thorndike, 443–507. Dempster, Frank N. 1988. The spacing effect. American Psychologist 43:627–34. Ebbinghaus, Hermann. 1964, first published 1885. Memory: A contribution to experi- mental psychology. Heath, Shirley. 1983. Ways with words: Language, life, and work in communities and
- 34. classrooms. Hunter, Walter S. 1929. Learning II: Experimental studies of learning. In The founda- tions of experimental psychology, ed. Carl Murchison, 564–627. James, William. 1901. Talks to teachers on psychology, and to students on some of life’s ideals. AMJP 01_2 text.indd 190 9/8/08 4:07:25 PM Messick, Sam. 1983. Assessment of children. In Handbook of child psychology. Vol. 1, History, theory, and methods, ed. William Kessen, 477–526. Pellegrini, Anthony D. 1990. Elementary school children’s playground behavior: Im- plications for children’s social-cognitive development. Children’s Environments Quarterly 7:8–16. ———. 1991. Outdoor recess: Is it really necessary? Principal 70:40. ———. 1992. Kindergarten children’s social-cognitive status as a predictor of first-grade success. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 7:565–77. ———. 1995. School recess and playground behavior: Educational and developmental roles. ———. 2002. Bullying, victimization, and sexual harassment during the transition to
- 35. middle school. Educational Psychologist 37:151–63. ———. 2003. Perceptions and functions of play and real fighting in early adolescence. Child Development 74:1522–33. ———. 2005. Recess: Its role in education and development. Pellegrini, Anthony D., and David F. Bjorklund. 1996. The place of recess in school: Issues in the role of recess in children’s education and development: An introduc- tion to the theme of the Special Issue. Journal of Research in Childhood Education 11:5–13. ———. 1997. The role of recess in children’s cognitive performance. Educational Psy- chologist 32:35–40. Pellegrini, Anthony D., and Lee Galda. 1982. The effects of thematic-fantasy play train- ing on the development of children’s story comprehension. American Educational Research Journal 19:443–52. Pellegrini, Anthony D., Kentaro Kato, Peter Blatchford, and Ed Baines. 2002. A short- term longitudinal study of children’s playground games across the first year of school: Implications for social competence and adjustment to school. American Educational Research Journal 39:991–1015. Pellegrini, Anthony D., and Peter K. Smith. 1998. Physical activity play: The nature and
- 36. function of a neglected aspect of play. Child Development 69:577–98. Smith, Peter K., and Kevin Connolly. 1980. The ecology of preschool behavior. T h e R e c e s s D e b a t e 191 AMJP 01_2 text.indd 191 9/8/08 4:07:26 PM Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk Volume 6 Issue 2 Nutrition and Food Insecurity Article 7 2015 Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective Jennifer G. Lengyel MS, RDN, LD Houston Independent School District, [email protected] Nan Cramer RDN, LD Houston Independent School District, [email protected] Amanda Oceguera MS, RDN, LD Houston Independent School District, [email protected] Lana Pigao MA Houston Independent School District, [email protected] Houston Independent School District, Nutrition Services Department Follow this and additional works at:
- 37. http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk The Journal of Applied Research on Children is brought to you for free and open access by CHILDREN AT RISK at [email protected] Texas Medical Center. It has a "cc by-nc-nd" Creative Commons license" (Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives) For more information, please contact [email protected] Recommended Citation Lengyel, Jennifer G. MS, RDN, LD; Cramer, Nan RDN, LD; Oceguera, Amanda MS, RDN, LD; Pigao, Lana MA; and Houston Independent School District, Nutrition Services Department (2015) "Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective," Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 6: Iss. 2, Article 7. Available at: http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7 http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk?utm_sourc e=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fvol6%2 Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPage s http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk?utm_sourc e=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fvol6%2 Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPage s http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6?utm_ source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fv ol6%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCov erPages http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2?u tm_source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%
- 38. 2Fvol6%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDF CoverPages http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7 ?utm_source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk %2Fvol6%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PD FCoverPages http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk?utm_sourc e=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk%2Fvol6%2 Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPage s http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7 ?utm_source=digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu%2Fchildrenatrisk %2Fvol6%2Fiss2%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PD FCoverPages http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk http://childrenatrisk.org/ http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/ http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ mailto:[email protected] Introduction For Houston Independent School District (ISD) Nutrition Services, managing the school food operations of the seventh largest school district in the nation can be a great challenge and opportunity. It takes the collaboration of more than 14 departments and 2,400 employees to serve 280,000 meals every day across Houston, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the nation. To be able to create a menu that balances nutrition
- 39. with student acceptability is an incredible feat. We are consistently trying to provide meals that students will consume while enjoying the health benefits. A recent series of emails and phone calls from parents concerned about the sugar content of Houston ISD’s school breakfasts revealed that a new issue had risen to the surface. Some parents were counting the grams of sugar in our breakfast menus and reported that they believed there was too much sugar to be healthy for children. This prompted us to look closely at the sugar content of our breakfast items and the source of the sugar. Houston ISD, along with all school districts participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program, follows a strict set of regulations set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010. This Act put in place a new set of nutrition standards and meal patterns for school breakfast and lunch in response to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity in the U.S. The nutrition standards limit calories, saturated fat, and sodium, and ban artificial trans-fat in school meals (see Table 1). HHFKA also made a significant change to the breakfast meal pattern by
- 40. increasing the fruit minimum from a half cup to one cup and having no requirement for the protein rich meat/meat alternate food group. Additionally, although we have consciously decided not to place specific sweet items on our breakfast menu, the sugar content of our breakfasts is being scrutinized. Ironically, the federal standards do not address the sugar content in school breakfasts. Whether this is an oversight or the authors of the law intentionally did not limit sugar, the result is the same: breakfast meals that are higher in sugar because of the requirement of one cup of fruit, 1 cup of milk (both which have natural sugar). Furthermore, restrictions on fat and the lack of requirement for protein foods result in carbohydrates, including natural sugar, as the main source of calories. Herein, we would like to provide the perspective of a school food service organization concerning sugar in breakfast, and present the 1 Lengyel et al.: Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective Published by [email protected] Texas Medical Center, 2015 challenges and efforts made to provide students with healthy, well-
- 41. balanced school breakfasts. National school lunch program and the school breakfast program background and history In an effort to describe our viewpoint about the sugar content of our breakfast menus, it is important to provide the reader with the context of the school meal programs history and purpose. School meal nutrition standards, which were initially put in place to assure adequate nutrition for an underfed population of children, have been adapted through the years to meet the current standards that aim to address an overfed, yet undernourished, population of children. In the early part of the 20th century, individual cities and states had enacted various versions of a school lunch program to improve nutrition and feed needy children. Due to a limit in state and local funds, the federal government stepped in, and in 1946, the 79th legislature enacted the National School Lunch Act. The purpose of the Act was “to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s children and…assist the States, in providing an adequate expansion of nonprofit school lunch programs.”1 Lunches served by schools participating in the school lunch program were required to meet minimum nutritional requirements prescribed
- 42. by the Secretary [of Agriculture] on the basis of tested nutritional research."1 The aim of these meal patterns was to provide school-aged children with one- third of their daily nutrient requirements. As dietary recommendations evolved with the expansion of nutrition research, various changes were made to the school lunch meal requirements during the subsequent 63 years leading up to the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act in 2010. The School Breakfast Program began in 1966 as a pilot-grant program to provide assistance serving breakfast to nutritionally needy children. By 1975, the program was permanently authorized by congress. The breakfast meal pattern was designed to provide one-quarter of the daily nutrient requirements of school-aged children. Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 and USDA Breakfast Meal Pattern The current Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) nutrition standards are based on the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines and recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine. The guidelines recommend a balance of calories and physical activity, increased intake of fruits and vegetables, 2
- 43. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, Vol. 6 [2015], Iss. 2, Art. 7 http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7 whole grains, low fat and fat-free dairy, and a reduction in saturated fats, trans fats, sodium, cholesterol and sugar.2 In addressing sugar in the diet, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend the reduction of added sugar and sugar sweetened beverages without quantifying a recommended amount of total sugar per day. The guidelines point out that a reduction of added sugars would lower calories without compromising the nutritional quality of the diet. The HHFKA breakfast and lunch nutrition standards generally follow the U.S. Dietary Guidelines but fail to address added sugar in foods. Table 1 outlines the USDA meal pattern and nutrition guidelines for school breakfast.3 The USDA has strived to improve student health and reduce childhood obesity through HHFKA in 2010; however, there have been numerous challenges in implementing those changes. For example, the recent enforcement of the additional breakfast requirements and how it affects the sugar content in school breakfasts. The current
- 44. breakfast meal pattern requires a minimum of one full cup of fruit, one full cup of milk, and one ounce whole grain offered each day. In addition, there must be a minimum of four items available for students to select, and three must be chosen, at least one of which is a fruit or vegetable, in order for the cost of that meal to be reimbursed by the federal government. The breakfast items are cumulatively analyzed on a daily and weekly basis to also ensure that the menu is meeting calorie requirements, saturated fat, and sodium restrictions (see Table 1). Of note, there are no requirements for meat or meat alternates in the USDA breakfast meal pattern, meaning that fruit, milk, and grains that provide calories mainly through carbohydrates, are the predominate foods at school breakfast. These regulations can greatly affect the breakfast menus, and in regards to the sugar content, can make it challenging for a school district to minimize added sugar due to calorie minimums, the inability to distinguish added vs. natural sugar, budget constraints, availability and variety of breakfast items, and many other factors described herein.
- 45. 3 Lengyel et al.: Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective Published by [email protected] Texas Medical Center, 2015 Table 1 Summary of Current USDA Breakfast Meal Pattern Requirements Houston ISD Nutrition Services Breakfast Program and Challenges in Minimizing Sugar Content Feeding a population of students, 80% of which are from economically disadvantaged homes, is a significant responsibility. Many of our students receive the majority of their nutrient intake from school meals. Students may receive up to three meals and a snack each day at school. The Houston ISD menus are developed through a collaboration of dietitians, chefs, cost analyst, operations, and production teams. Breakfast is especially important in providing nutrition and improving academic performance, according to research cited by the Food Research and Action Center.4 In an effort to improve access to breakfast
- 46. at Houston ISD, in 2009 we began implementation of a program called First Class Breakfast that offers free breakfast to all students at all of our schools. Currently, we serve more than 118,000 students each morning. Serving breakfast in the classroom ensures students have the opportunity to eat breakfast if they did not eat at home. Often parents and school buses drop off students just before the bell rings, making it impossible for students to eat a traditional school breakfast in the cafeteria. In addition, most of the cafeterias are not designed to accommodate service to the entire student body in a single breakfast period. Serving breakfast in the classroom also removes the stigma that school breakfast is exclusively for economically disadvantaged students. Regardless of the roadblocks, we Components Amount Per Week Amount per day Amount Per Week
- 47. Amount per day Amount Per Week Amount per day Fruit 5 cups 1 cup 5 cups 1 cup 5 cups 1 cup Grains (ounce eq) 7oz 1oz 8 oz 1oz 9oz 1oz Meat/Meat Alt.* 0 0 0 0 0 0 Milk 5 cups 1 cup 5 cups 1 cup 5 cups 1 cup Calories (min-max) Sodium (maximum)** Saturated Fat (% of calories) Trans Fat Nutrition label or manuf acturer specif ications must indicate zero grams of trans f at per serving <10% <10% <10% USDA Breakfast Meal Pattern
- 48. * 1oz meat/meat alternate can count toward 1oz grain once daily mimimum grain requirement is met. K - 5 6-8 9-12 350-500 kcal 400-550 450-650 540mg 600mg 570mg ** 2014/2015 school year sodium levels. Sodium maximums will have further reductions in 2017/2018 school year and again in 2022/2023 school year. 4 Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, Vol. 6 [2015], Iss. 2, Art. 7 http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7 make every effort to provide one of the most important “school supplies” children need to be successful in school and beyond. Table 2 Sample HISD Breakfast Menu There are two different methods of breakfast service in Houston ISD schools in accordance with USDA regulations: straight serve and offer vs. serve. With the straight serve method, students must take all foods on the menu. With the offer vs. serve method, students are only
- 49. required to take three food items, one of which must be a ½ cup of fruit. This means that they do not need to take both fruits offered, nor are they required to take the milk. Adding up all of the grams of sugar on our entire breakfast menu does not give the correct amount of sugar that students would consume in most cases because the students might not select all of the items offered. An example would be if the menu offered pancakes, cereal bar, banana, apple juice and milk. A student could select the pancakes, banana and milk only. Or he/she could choose the cereal bar, banana and apple juice, etc. Offer vs. serve method helps to reduce waste in the Week 1 Monday Oatmeal Bar 18g sugar, 270 calories Dried Cranberrries 24g sugar, 110 calories Fruit Juice Blend 14g sugar, 60 calories
- 50. Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Average sugar: 53 grams Average Calories: 482 Week 2 Monday Texas Cinnamon Toast 8g sugar, 146 calories Apple Slices 6g sugar, 30 calories Fruit Juice Blend 14g sugar, 60 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Average sugar: 50.2 grams Average Calories: 475 Current Straight Serve Menus (K-5) FridayThursdayWednesdayTuesday Apple,
- 51. 15.5g sugar, 77 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Multigrain Oat Cereal 6g sugar, 100 calories Oatmeal Bar 9g sugar, 140 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Fruit Juice Blend 14g sugar, 60 calories Apple, 15.5g sugar, 77 calories Fruit Juice Blend
- 52. 14g sugar, 60 calories Blueberry Waf f les 7g sugar calories Apple Muf f in 15.5g sugar, 199 calories Chicken Biscuit 8g sugar, 285 calories Peach Cup 16g sugar, 80 calories Raspberry Yogurt 12g sugar, 80 calories Banana 16.5g sugar, 121 calories Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Chicken Biscuit 8g sugar , 285 calories Frosted Corn Cereal (Red. Sugar) 7g sugar, 100 calories
- 53. Maple Pancakes 14g sugar, 230 calories Beef Kolache 5g sugar, 284 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Milk 12g sugar, 100 calories Dried Cranberries 24g sugar, 110 calories Oatmeal Bar 9g sugar, 140 calories Banana 16.5g sugar, 121 calories
- 54. Raisins 22g sugar, 113 calories Fruit Juice Blend 14g sugar, 60 calories Apple 15.5g sugar, 77 calories Fruit Juice Blend 14g sugar, 60 calories Fruit Juice Blend 14g sugar, K 60 calories 5 Lengyel et al.: Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective Published by [email protected] Texas Medical Center, 2015 Average Sugar: 44.77 grams Average Calories: 409 Average Sugar: 43.09 grams Average Calories: 419
- 55. Current Offer Vs. Serve Menu Week 1 Week 2 breakfast programs by allowing students the option to select what food they want to eat. The grams of sugar and calories in the offer vs. serve menu reflect the averages of the foods the students actually choose. As apparent from Table 3, the straight serve menu contains more sugar and calories than the offer vs. serve menu since students are taking all the menu items. It is important to note that for both methods of service the total average calories and grams of sugar are based on what the students received for breakfast, not what they actually consumed. Only a series of tray waste studies would allow us to determine actual sugar intake among our students. Table 3 Calorie and Sugar Weekly Averages for Breakfast As mentioned previously, the USDA breakfast meal pattern requires fruit, milk, and whole grain to be offered
- 56. at each breakfast; all are sources of carbohydrates. Federal regulations for the school breakfast program set a range of minimum and maximum number of calories allowed for a Kindergarten-5th grade breakfast at 350- 500 calories. The Institute of Medicine recommends 45% of calories come from carbohydrate. In that case, the breakfast would have about 56 grams of carbohydrate. Unfortunately, the federal guidelines for breakfast result in a breakfast meal that has a higher percentage of calories coming from carbohydrate and potentially in the form of sugar. It is important to mention that the other sources of calories in a meal are protein and fat, but according to the HHFKA Nutrition Standards, there is no requirement for protein in school breakfast and many of the breakfast items offered are required to be low in fat, such as the milk. However, schools may substitute meat/meat alternatives for grain components after the minimum daily grains requirement is met. Due to the lack in requirement for meat/meat alternate items and the typical higher cost of these items, meat/meat alternates are not offered daily. If offered, they are usually categorized as a grain component in order to meet the breakfast meal pattern daily minimums. This results in school breakfast menus that are missing a considerate amount of
- 57. protein and calories from protein (4 kcal/g) and potentially contain higher amounts of carbohydrates and sugars. 6 Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, Vol. 6 [2015], Iss. 2, Art. 7 http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7 Cumulatively, carbohydrate sources can contribute to the sugar content at breakfast, however, it is important to note the two different types of sugar: natural and added. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, natural sugars are those found in whole foods like fluid milk and milk products (lactose) and fruit (fructose); sugars that are added to foods for preservation, processing, or palatability purposes are called “added sugars.” In one school breakfast meal, an average of 37g of total sugar is attributed to natural sugars found in milk and fruit alone. Based on the current information available and data from Table 3, we can estimate 6-16 g of sugar in our menus is derived from added sugar. However, currently the accuracy of the estimated total grams of added sugar cannot be verified due to a lack in label differentiation
- 58. between the two types of sugar. Image 1. FDA Proposed Label One of the significant challenges in controlling the sugar content at breakfast is the ability to analyze the amount of total added sugar in a menu and in individual breakfast items. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that a person consume no more than 10% of calories from added sugar. However, most nutrition fact labels for foods do not distinguish natural vs. added sugar; it appears only as “sugar” that includes both added and naturally occurring. Currently, the FDA is proposing a new label to solve this issue by requiring manufacturers to list the amount of sugar added during the production process and therefore differentiate the two types of sugar (see Image 1)5. In the interim, a lack of nutrition facts label information makes it difficult to distinguish natural from added sugars, and therefore a challenge to reduce total added sugar in school breakfast, despite Houston ISD Nutrition Services’ efforts (see Table 2 for menu example).
- 59. 7 Lengyel et al.: Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective Published by [email protected] Texas Medical Center, 2015 The USDA School Breakfast Program requirements changed in 2014, increasing fruit servings to a full cup for breakfast. Due to this requirement change we have added juice since many fruits such as a whole banana, equals only half a cup of fruit; instead of giving students two bananas we offer one banana and ½ a cup of juice to meet the requirement. Each half-cup of fruit adds 10 to 15 grams of sugar to the breakfast meal. We offer dried fruit one to two times a week on high school menus for variety and due to high acceptability, adding 22-24 grams in mostly added sugar. When serving more than 118,000 breakfasts per day with a less than one-dollar budget per breakfast, providing nutritious student accepted items while meeting federal requirements can be arduous. The additional fruit offering results in an additional cost that then takes away from the amount that can be spent on higher quality or more expensive breakfast
- 60. items. For example, on average most fresh fruit items cost $0.20 for ½ cup, then because 1 cup of fruit must be offered at breakfast, fruit alone can contribute to 50% or more of the total food cost for the entire breakfast meal. Often, lower cost fruit juice is served to meet the fruit requirement, maintain cost constraints, and provide variety to the fruit offerings. In addition, fruit accessibility and diversity has been a challenge. With the increase in required daily fruit offerings at breakfast in combination with years of drought and environmental issues, many school districts, especially large districts including Houston ISD, have experienced numerous produce shortages and resulted in a lack of selection. We prefer to serve fresh fruit, however we are limited on the variety of whole fruit on the breakfast menu due to our limited budget and narrowed vendor availability. While we do sometimes get fruits from the USDA Foods Commodity program to assist with the cost, we only have them available on a limited basis. In addition, principals have requested that certain fruits, such as whole oranges, not be served in the classrooms for breakfast because they are messy, further limiting the variety of fruit. In many cases, there have been whole fruits that were planned to be served on the breakfast menu but due to crop shortages,
- 61. inclement weather patterns or price fluctuations, those fruits had to be replaced with canned, dried or juice alternatives. These alternatives can be more easily available or affordable, but at the same time less nutrient dense and/or contain more added sugar for food preservation purposes, functional attributes, and palatability. These barriers combined restrict accessibility and increase budgetary constraints, which unfortunately makes fresh fruit a limited commodity. 8 Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, Vol. 6 [2015], Iss. 2, Art. 7 http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7 Houston ISD Nutrition Services’ Efforts to Reduce Sugar Content in Breakfast With 80% of the Houston ISD population being economically disadvantaged, it is important to us that students consume the food in school in order to get key nutrients they may not be getting outside of school. Albeit at times, there can be many challenges to creating healthy
- 62. school breakfast meals, Houston ISD Nutrition Services is aware of elevated sugar content and has been making efforts to reduce sugar levels in school breakfasts. Chocolate milk is not offered at breakfast; only skim or low-fat milk is available. Also, we do not offer breakfast sweet rolls or pastries with icing or excessive added sugar, including pastry tarts, cinnamon rolls, donuts, honey buns, etc. We serve whole- grain rich versions of grain items that are lower in sugar, such as reduced- sugar breakfast cereals. Many of the breakfast products that we purchase are actually lower in fat, sodium, and sugar and higher in fiber and complex carbohydrates than their commercial equivalent. We are required to serve whole grains, low fat proteins, low sodium and we strive to serve low sugar products. For example, the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal we serve at Houston ISD is whole grain and lower in sugar than the regular version sold in a grocery store. However, our students are familiar with this product so the consumption rate is high. These efforts aid in balancing food flavors with student acceptance so that students are consuming the breakfast items because “it’s not nutrition if they don’t eat it” according to Registered Dietitian, Dayle Hayes.
- 63. Furthermore, Houston ISD Nutrition Services is continually meeting with manufacturers to discuss removing unnecessary additives from their ingredients and improve their products. Many of the manufacturers have responded by eliminating additives such as Mono Sodium Glutamate. We will continue to collaborate with manufacturers and push for reformulation of products to reduce added sugar levels in breakfast items. Additionally, Houston ISD Nutrition Services makes efforts to control the ingredients in school food by producing in-house, semi- homemade items in our state-of-the-art centralized food production facility. Our research and development chefs and production team create items such as whole-grain-rich beef kolaches, sweet potato spice and apple muffins, and chicken biscuits. With scratch made production items, we can include whole grain, complex carbohydrates and techniques such as using vegetables like sweet potatoes or whole fruits like apples and blueberries, to add flavor and nutrition to our recipes instead of added sugar. 9 Lengyel et al.: Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective
- 64. Published by [email protected] Texas Medical Center, 2015 We recognize that whole fruit has more nutritional benefits and fiber than fruit juice and less added sugar than dried fruit so when possible, fresh fruit appears on the breakfast menus. Houston ISD Nutrition Services has made great strides to build relationships with produce vendors and implement processes to aid in procuring more whole fruits and increasing the variety of options offered. We have also begun to participate in programs such as Harvest of the Month and Farm- to-School in which there is a focus on local and seasonal purchasing and nutrition education of fruits and vegetables. These programs have allowed us to increase locally sourced produce, educate students and encourage consumption of fresh fruits. In addition to these efforts, Nutrition Services will be reducing the number of days that juice is offered and dried cranberries will be removed from the elementary menu to further reduce sugar content. As mentioned previously, there is no USDA requirement for protein, meat or meat alternates. Nutrition Services has committed to increasing
- 65. the meat and meat alternates to replace grain products when possible by adding items to the menu such as cheese toast, sausage biscuit, breakfast taco, breakfast egg sandwich, etc. This will aid in achieving adequate calories and protein without adding carbohydrates or added sugar. In an effort to reduce food waste, most of our schools serve breakfast using the “offer vs. serve” method. Since this type of service does not require students to take all items, it helps to reduce overall food waste. Also, throughout the school year, we have conducted informal plate waste studies and taste tests to verify that items are not only healthy but also accepted and consumed by students. We plan to continue these techniques and are currently in the process of formulating a more standardized procedure that will further aid in our ability to create and menu different breakfast items with less added sugar while reducing food waste. School food service is not just about putting food on a tray. Houston ISD Nutrition Services recognizes the importance of serving school meals to students and the opportunities that lie in shaping their eating behaviors and life-long health. School food is a conduit for nutrition education and is the reason we make every effort to incorporate
- 66. nutrition messaging into the school cafeteria and beyond. Our nutrition education and community outreach dietitians work with our culinary team to reach out to students and communities to educate on why we serve nutritious foods. 10 Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, Vol. 6 [2015], Iss. 2, Art. 7 http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7 Conclusion School nutrition programs follow the strict guidelines set forth by the USDA and within that framework of the meal pattern and the nutrition guidelines is a limit to how much the sugar content at breakfast can be decreased. In the solutions outlined above, we strive to reduce added sugars while operating a program within our budgetary constraints and with menu items that the students will consume. Our breakfasts provide nutrition for growing bodies and fuel for the minds of our students so that they can achieve their academic potential and therefore require
- 67. special consideration and attention. If the public and parents desire more reduction in the sugar content of breakfast, seeking policy changes at the federal level would be required. These changes could be to require meat/meat alternates, reduction in fruit requirement, and an increase in funding to include more protein items and higher quality products. Parents can impact the nutrition standards by providing feedback during USDA public comment periods for the School Breakfast Program and voicing opinions to local, state, and federal policy makers. Changes in the Nutrition Facts Labels to distinguish added sugars would also aid in our selection of food items with less added sugar for our menus. New labeling could also drive the food industry to reformulate items with less added sugar and develop new savory products with higher protein, adequate calories, and lower sugar content. We will continue to listen to our communities concerns and to seek solutions in order to serve students the most nutritious breakfast meals.
- 68. 11 Lengyel et al.: Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective Published by [email protected] Texas Medical Center, 2015 References: 1. Public Law 79-396; Stat. 231 Congress, June 4, 1946. 2. 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010/ . Published December 2010. Updated December 7, 2015. Accessed October 1, 2015. 3. Nutrition Standards for School Meals: New Meal Patterns and Dietary Specifications. USDA Food and Nutrition Service website.
- 69. http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/nutrition-standards- school- meals . Published January 2012. Updated August 11, 2015. Accessed October 5, 2015. 4. School Meals and School Wellness Publications: Breakfast for Learning Brief. Food Research and Action Center website. http://frac.org/wp- content/uploads/2009/09/breakfastforlearning.pdf Published Spring 2014. Accessed October 5, 2015. 5. Proposed Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label. U.S. Food and Drug Administration website. http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocume nts RegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm Updated October 23, 2015. Accessed October 2, 2015. 12 Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, Vol. 6 [2015], Iss. 2, Art. 7 http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol6/iss2/7
- 70. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010/ http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/nutrition-standards- school-meals http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/nutrition-standards- school-meals http://frac.org/wp- content/uploads/2009/09/breakfastforlearning.pdf http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocume ntsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocume ntsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htmJou rnal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk2015Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's PerspectiveJennifer G. Lengyel MS, RDN, LDNan Cramer RDN, LDAmanda Oceguera MS, RDN, LDLana Pigao MAHouston Independent School District, Nutrition Services DepartmentRecommended Citationtmp.1451577005.pdf.FU36c Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING Logan Stevens English Composition II December 1, 2019 Research question: How should ethical concerns direct the choices that people make about eating meat?
- 71. Working thesis statement: For ethical and environmental reasons, people should limit their beef consumption, and the beef that they do eat should be humanely raised, locally sourced, and grass-fed. Detailed Outline I. Working Thesis in Introduction: For ethical and environmental reasons, people should limit their beef consumption, and the beef that they do eat should be humanely raised, locally sourced, and grass-fed. A. Hook with description statistics on beef consumption. B. Introduce two concerns: humane treatment, environment Source: Davis and Lin on statistics on beef consumption in the U.S. II. Ethical Issues Comment [SL1]: Hi Logan! This is a very good research question. It is relevant, debatable,and is adequately focused for a paper of this length. Comment [SL2]: This is a very well-constructed thesis statement.You take a very clear stance on the issue, indicating how you plan to argue one aspect of the research question.
- 72. Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING A. Animals feel pain B. CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) C. Inhumane treatment of domesticated cattle Source 1: Grandin and Smith, paragraph 2 Source 2: Pollan on ethical conflicts, paragraphs 32 and 40 III. Environmental Issues A. Mono-cropping: feed for cattle and transport B. Manure: contamination, transport, ground water C. Antibiotics: rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria Source 1: Lappe on mono-cropping com/soy and production, page 22 Source 2: Sager on manure issues, paragraph 7 Source 3: Palmer on antibiotics, paragraph 12 IV. Health Benefits of Grass-Fed A. Higher in vitamins A and E and contains half the saturated fat and more omega-3
- 73. fatty acids, all of which fight cancer and heart disease B. Cows are healthier, so their meat is healthier to consume. C. Note that organic is a separate category. Source 1: Ruechel on health benefits, page 235 Source 2: Sager on organic note, paragraphs 10-15 V. Environmental Benefits of Grass-Fed Beef A. Local production is better for the climate B. Forage is better for the climate than corn/soy C. Some meat consumption is good for the planet. Comment [SL3]: Good. You are indicating which sources you plan to use in support of your discussion and highlighting the specific part of the source which will be used here. This helps you to find exactly what you need when you are writing your final paper. Well done. Comment [SL4]: Your argument is progressing in a very logical manner so far. Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING Source 1: Lappe on climate change, page 11
- 74. Source 2: Pollan on local and diverse, end of article VI. Counterargument A. Rainforest razing in South America – increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and depletes the ozone layer B. Travel distance from S. America & Australia is environmentally negative – depends on fossil fuels Source 1: Brown and Funk, and Sage, on issues w/grass-fed cattle in the developing world. Source 2: Pollan (and possibly Lappe) on “season” for beef VII. Conclusion A. Grass-fed is better on both ethical and environmental grounds, but the real answer is to eat less beef overall. B. Emphasizing respect for animals solves ethical dilemmas Source 1: Pollan on eating less and the ethics of being choosy, paragraph 82 Reflection Questions
- 75. 1) Learning to conduct research is important because it is a skill you will use both in academia and in your professional life. It improves critical thinking and empowers you to find information for yourself. Consider the process of researching as a whole. What was the most challenging aspect of the process for you? (2-3 sentences) Comment [SL5]: Good. It is important to present the counter-arguments in order to establish a balanced perspective on the issue. Comment [SL6]: Excellent. This summarizes the main points you have made throughout your essay and ties the discussion back to your thesis statement. Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING One of the most challenging aspects of researching for me was how much time it took to find all of the different types of sources for this paper. It was also very difficult to assess each source and determine whether the information it provided was credible and useful
- 76. for my essay. I really thought this would only take an hour or two, but it ended up being a much more involved process. Now I know that if you want to really learn about an issue, it takes more than a quick web search for information! 2) The working thesis statement is a proposed answer to your research question. It should clearly identify a debatable topic and take a position on one side of that topic. Analyze the effectiveness of your working thesis statement. My working thesis statement is one sentence that presents one side of a relevant and debatable argument. In addition, I tried to be as specific as I could. Instead of simply saying “People should not eat beef” I stated that it was for ethical and environmental reasons. I offered an alternative for what should be done if people would not avoid beef completely. I really tried to explain why this issue was important and discuss what could be done to improve the situation. 3) A detailed outline is an effective tool for laying out the progression of an
- 77. argument. It allows you to consider the arrangement and organization of your ideas, as well as choose places to incorporate outside source materials. Review your detailed outline and summarize the argument you've presented. I start by laying out the ethical issues and inhumane treatment of mass-produced cattle and discuss the environmental concerns of feeding and transporting cattle. I then switch Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING to discussing the health and environmental benefits of grass-fed, humanely raised beef. The counterargument outlines a few issues that still exist with grass-fed beef and the conclusion reiterates that eating grass-fed beef is better but eating less beef is the more environmentally friendly option. I think that the argument progresses logically in this way and I think that the information I provided in my introduction and conclusion will be
- 78. very helpful in introducing and summarizing the topic. 4) You will use the same topic on three of the remaining Touchstones in this course. What kind of feedback would be helpful for you? What are specific questions you might have as you go deeper into the research process? I’m pretty confident in the information I provided, but I would like additional insight into the structure of my essay. I think that my outline is clear, but I am not sure if it will make as much sense to someone who is not as familiar with the topic. I would also like some guidance on my use of formatting. I tried my best to use APA guidelines, but I’m not as familiar with these Comment [SL7]: You’ve done a really greatjob with thesethings. It can be difficult to strike the right balance in providing enough information in the bibliography and outline, but you have summarized the sources well and your outline clearly shows how you plan to develop your topic. Yourformatting is also very precise and adheres to all the conventional guidelines. Very well done!
- 79. Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING Touchstone 1 Rubric and Feedback Rubric Category Feedback Score (acceptable, needs improvement etc.) Research Question Your research question is very precise and represents a relevant and debatable topic. 8/10 Working Thesis Your working thesis is also very clear and you clearly state which side of the issue you plan to take. 9/10
- 80. Detailed Outline Your outline is clearly labeled and demonstrates the logical progression of your argument. You have provided sufficient notes so that the reader can easily see how you plan to use each source to support the discussion in each section. You also include all of the required components. 14/15 Style Your tone is consistent and informative. 5/5 Conventions Your use of English conventions is consistent. 5/5 Reflection You thoroughly answer all questions and provide insights, observations, and examples in your responses. 5/5 Overall Score and Feedback: 46/50