Background: Parental Medicaid eligibility has been shown to be linked to positive academic and school outcomes for children. However, the impact of adult Medicaid expansion on children's school absenteeism is largely unexplored in the literature. The aim of this study was to examine whether Medicaid expansion for adults under the Affordable Care…

Background: Approximately 20% of US children are obese and these rates are expected to increase. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides meals to millions of students and may influence their body mass index (BMI). This study aimed to investigate whether students who participate in the NSLP have a higher BMI when compared to those that do…

Background: This study investigates how the Medicaid Expansion of the Affordable Care Act affected state high school dropout rates. Methods: This study relies on a differences-in-differences estimation strategy that is common in program evaluation, especially in education. This method replicates in a regression framework a classic pre-test…

Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) directed the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise school meal standards to increase healthy food offerings. A critical stakeholder in the implementation of standards is Food Service Directors (FSDs). We sought to examine FSDs' perspectives on revised school meal standards to…

Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) directed the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise school meal standards. Students are most affected by efforts to improve the school food environment; yet, few studies directly include students. This study examined high school students' experiences of school meal reform to gain…

Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) presents challenges for foodservice directors (FSDs) in sourcing and preparing foods that meet nutrition standards. Concurrently, community health coalition members (CHCs) are engaging schools through community and school nutrition initiatives. We hypothesized significant differences in…

Background: Concerns have been expressed that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) may be reducing the amount of classroom time devoted to subjects other than those for which students are tested. The purpose of this article is to explore whether NCLB legislation has affected the provision of evidence-based drug prevention curricula (EBC) in the nation's…

This paper describes a potential supplement to new or existing community health programs. Title I of Public Law 89 750, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, provides innovative and remedial educational programs for children in poverty areas. It encourages the inculsion of health components which can readily be incorporated into community…

Background: This study examines the results of federal legislation on the content and quality of policies written in 2005-2006 by Utah school districts (n = 30). Methods: Policies were gathered by phone call requests to school districts or obtained on district Web pages. Content was compared to requirements outlined in the Child Nutrition…

Well-designed and effectively implemented school health policies and programs can improve students' health-related behaviors and outcomes, as well as their educational outcomes. Health promotion programs in the school setting are guided and constrained by myriad federal, state, and local laws and policies. Knowledge and understanding of the legal…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was signed into law by President George W. Bush in January 2002 and is regarded as the most significant federal education policy initiative in a generation. The primary focus of the No Child Left Behind Act is on promoting educational success for all children; however, the legislation also contains…

The interruption in the pattern of segregating "regular" and handicapped students will have profound implications for the mental health of the children identified as handicapped as well as the 90 percent not considered handicapped. (MM)