COD E R E D

RecommendationsIn determining our recommendations, we applied a “funnel” approach to pare down the hundredsof recommendations found in current policy reports. Of the recommendations for child healthinterventions, we selected those that were school-based programs and then narrowed this set to thosethat had evidence of some effect on academic performance. Finally, we reviewed Texas policy andpractices to identify areas where improvement was possible.School-Based Nutrition InterventionsFailure to eat breakfast and undernutrition have been shown to adversely affect children’s ability toproblem solve in school and potentially have long-lasting effects on a child’s cognitive development andperformance in school. One recent study indicated that children in a School Breakfast Program (SBP) hadincreased language, math and reading scores, as well as reduced tardiness. Another study demonstratedthat participation in an SBP reduced absenteeism and improved math scores, although no difference wasfound in reading, social studies or science. Similar, well-designed studies replicate these results: childrenwho participate in an SBP have higher math grades and lower absence and tardiness rates. Unlike manyother areas of school health, the affects of this intervention on academic performance are consistent andsignificant.• Based on compelling evidence of impact on academic performance, we recommend anexpansion of the School Breakfast Program (SBP) in Texas schools.The Texas Department of Agriculture established the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy whichaddresses the issue of SBP, along with other nutrition and food service policies in public schools. For thefiscal year 2003 – 2004, 6,903 Texas schools participated in the SBP. This is impressive when oneconsiders there are 7,009 public schools in Texas. However, according to the Texas Joint InterimCommittee on Nutrition and Health in Public Schools, Interim Report to the 79th Legislature, only 26% ofstudents are actually getting a school breakfast. We recommend extending the school breakfast programto a larger number of students as a reliable means of improving academic performance while, at the sametime, addressing chronic under-nourishment.School-Based Physical Activity InterventionsThe benefits of physical activity on health are well accepted; however, there is evidence thatincreasing its presence in school curricula does not impair academic achievement and may also improveschool performance. Based on these findings, we recommend increasing the requirement of physicalactivity in Texas schools. The Texas Administrative Code (TAC §74.32) requires enrolled K-6 students toparticipate in a minimum of 30 minutes per day or 135 minutes per week of physical activity. The U.S.Department of Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 60 minutes or more ofmoderate to vigorous physical activity based on the most current research.• Given the strength of the evidence, we recommend that Texas schools increase theirphysical activity requirements to 60 minutes per day.Project SPARK, an elementary school physical education program, demonstrated significant gains forreading, losses for language, and no differences for math scores on a standardized test, suggesting that,even with time taken away from the academic program for physical education, overall academicfunctioning was not impaired. Another physical education program incorporating fitness or skill training for75 minutes a day, compared to usual physical education offered three times a week for 30 minutes,demonstrated increased math scores, better classroom behavior as rated by teachers and no significantreduction in reading test scores compared with controls. Regarding level of fitness and academicperformance, the California Department of Education has demonstrated a significant linear associationE-iv