Equity-Oriented Data Use: Identifying and Addressing Food Insecurity at Copper Springs Middle School

CSMS ¹

CSMS is a midsized campus serving just below 900 students, located in a suburb of a large metropolitan area. The school includes sixth through eighth grades, and serves a diverse student population. According to a recent state-level accountability report, just above 13% of students are identified as African American, 30% as Hispanic, 44% as White, and just below 10% as Asian. Students identified as Pacific Islander, Native American, and bi- or multiracial account for below 4% of students, collectively.

Despite being in an area many consider affluent, 38% of students at CSMS qualify for free- or reduced-price meals (which is lower than the state average, but 10 points higher than the average for schools in the district). Mobility, at 9.5%, indicates that students move in and out of the Copper Springs attendance zone, but not at a rate that is out of line with most schools in Texas. Eleven percent of students at CSMS are emergent bilingual (EB) students—They are learning English in addition to the language(s) they already possess.

The faculty of Copper Springs is less experienced than that of the district: Just more than 40% of CSMS teachers have five or fewer years of classroom experience (as compared with 30% of the district as a whole). Twenty-seven percent, however, hold a master’s degree. Beginning teacher salary in the district is competitive, at just above US$50,000 per year. The diversity found among students at CSMS is more robust than that of teachers: 71% of Copper Springs teachers are White, with just below 20% and 10% identifying as Hispanic and African American, respectively.

Lunchroom Problems

Joan Watson grabbed her lunch from her mini fridge behind her desk and quickly walked to the teachers’ lounge to grab a spot in the line for a microwave. As she entered, she was pleasantly surprised to see only one person ahead of her, as a few teachers were sitting down to eat. “I’m not even sure what to do at this point—just write her up, I guess,” she overhead Mrs. Quinn say. “This is the third time I’ve caught her stealing, and the first two times I let it slide.”

“Why’d you let it slide before?” Mr. Cruz asked. Ms. Watson’s ears perked up as well—Mrs. Quinn was known for being strict, not for letting infractions slide, and to let a theft go unaddressed? That was really out of character. Ms. Watson finished warming her lunch and joined the others at the table.

“The first time I wasn’t really even sure what I was seeing,” Mrs. Quinn started.

I was on breakfast duty, and she had already gone through the line, and then I saw her go back and act like she was talking to some friends, and while one was paying, she grabbed a chocolate milk off that table by the trash—you know, where kids put liquids they’ve opened but don’t finish.

“She drank someone else’s open milk?” asked Ms. Watson.

“Well, yes. It wasn’t hers, but it had been paid for already, so I didn’t bother to say anything—I figured it was probably one of her friends or something.”

“What about the other time, and today?” Mr. Cruz asked.

The second time she and Noah got in an argument over a bag of chips. Noah said Eva took it out of his lunchbag, but Eva said it was hers and that she’d brought it from home. She and Noah are friends, and when I looked at the table, Noah had another bag of chips and two sandwiches, so I honestly thought it was probably Eva’s anyway. They acted embarrassed I’d even noticed, and told me it wasn’t a big deal, so I let it go. But today—today I caught her shoving two granola bars from my snack basket into her jacket pocket. I keep the basket for when we have films in class—kind of a class reward. When people were packing up, I saw her by the basket and the evidence was right in her hand. So now I think she probably did take those chips from Noah.

“Eva Hernandez?” Ms. Watson asked. “Eva who is on the soccer team?”

“That’s her, yes” replied Mrs. Quinn. “I mean, maybe now that the team is practicing more, maybe she’s just hungrier than usual.”

“Well, maybe she’s hungry, but that’s no reason to steal,” Mr. Cruz replied. “Maybe the counselor can talk to her and figure out what’s going on. Sometimes the referrals get passed over to the counselors.”

“Well, at least she was aiming for something healthy!” Mrs. Ryan interjected.

I swear I walked by James Allen, who has to be the most attention-challenged student in my class, on lunch duty last week—he had two bags of chips, a Snickers bar, and a soda in his lunch. In his lunch! What are these parents thinking, sending a lunch like that with a middle schooler? It would be better to buy the school lunch!

“You know, I’ve also noticed some really bad choices being made by our students who bring their lunches,” Mr. Cruz added.

I will say that, at a school like ours, we can count on most parents to be responsive. I think if we have a nutritionist come and talk at our next PTA meeting, maybe we can see some changes in what parents send in lunches,

Mr. Cruz suggested.

The others nodded, moving on to other topics. Ms. Watson knew Eva—she had her in last period art class, and really enjoyed her as a student. She planned to talk to Eva, if she was willing, to figure out what was going on.

Hints at a Larger Issue

Later that day, students in Ms. Watson’s class began work on a new set of sketches. After pulling three or four students to her desk for brief individual conferences about their plans for the new art project, she called for Eva to bring her sketchbook up for a chat.

“These look good,” she began, thumbing through the last few sketches. “Hey—I wanted to talk with you about something else. I heard you had a little problem in Mrs. Quinn’s class earlier today. Mind if I ask you what happened?”

“Aw miss,” she began quietly, averting her eyes.

It wasn’t anything really. I forgot to bring a snack for after school and I just thought I could take some bars with me, and I was going to bring some to replace it later this week when my mom goes to the store. I should have asked her first, but I was just hungry and didn’t think.

OK, well if that’s all it is, then. But she also said she’d seen you sneaking some extra milk and that you’d been in an argument over some chips last week. I always have some snacks in here, and if you’re hungry, you can come in here whenever you want,

Ms. Watson said quietly, still thumbing through the sketches, keeping her voice low.

Eva grew still. “Well, yeah, that would be good sometimes.” She paused.

Miss, it’s been a little hard lately—my dad actually lost his job, and we do have food, but we’re also on assistance, and it runs out quick. My little brothers need stuff too, so I was just trying to cut back, but with practice I just get so hungry.

“I’m sorry to hear about your dad, Eva. Are you eating breakfast and lunch at school? You know, I’m sure you’d qualify—let me get the paperwork to send to your parents. That can help a little, at least.”

“Yeah, I guess. I just haven’t wanted to—I didn’t want to embarrass my parents and ask—they’re trying really hard. “

“Well, how about I be the bad guy and call and send paperwork to them myself?” Ms. Watson asked. “Until then, seriously—I have sandwich stuff in my fridge and apples—you come in here and get what you need. Just don’t be eating like your buddy James. I hear he prefers chips and Snickers for lunch!”

Eva laughed a little.

Oh miss, he doesn’t! He gets tired of that stuff, but since his family doesn’t have a car, they can’t get to the grocery store much, so he buys stuff for his lunch at the gas station on the way to school some days. I told him I’d be more than happy to eat the Snickers for him, though. Really, Ms. Watson, thank you.

Eva gathered her sketchbook, grinned and took some crackers from Ms. Watson’s snack basket, and moved back to her table.

Ms. Watson sat silently before calling up the next student. It seems there was more to this problem than she had considered.

Campus Leadership Roundtable

Every 2 weeks, department chairs, grade-level leaders, counselors, and administrators met to provide an update on initiatives, discuss campus issues, and problem solve. After breaking down the latest science benchmark data and reviewing the campus calendar, principal Angela Lewis asked whether anyone had anything to bring to the attention of the group.

“I do,” said Ms. Watson.

Last week I had an encounter in the lunchroom—a few of you were there—that led to a conversation with a student who had been observed taking food at a few different times. I’ve worked with the student to get the paperwork completed for the free lunch program, and that problem has been addressed, but in the process, a few other things came up.

Mrs. Lewis nodded. “What have you learned, Joan?”

Well, as you all know, we have a pretty large percentage of our students who are already on a meal program. But my first concern is that we have some who for whatever reason need to be on it, but aren’t. I realized that we typically distribute these forms at the beginning of school, but for families that encounter a job loss or other issue during the year, I’m wondering how we can remind them that they can still apply.

Mrs. Lewis made a note and added,

We also deal with some assumptions in the broader community related to this. First, teenagers can be embarrassed to seem different—nobody wants to be the kid who doesn’t have enough to eat when it’s already hard to fit in, sometimes. So we need to be sure that whatever approach we take doesn’t add to that burden. Second, people assume everyone in our community has money, and that’s just not true. That can sometimes make families afraid to ask for help, even when the taxes they pay go to help fund these programs—we sometimes need to remind them that their taxes actively help others, so it’s ok to ask for help when their kids need it.

“Exactly!” Ms. Watson nodded.

Also, when this student mentioned having younger siblings, and food being tight at particular times of the month, I started to wonder—even when they are on the meals program—what happens at night, or on the weekend? It doesn’t help for them to come to school hungry on Monday morning—can we help fill that gap, somehow?

“Actually,” interjected Carl Hawes, one of the counselors,

there are a couple of things that come to mind in response to that. First, I read a news article recently about a new law that lets schools create school-based food pantries. All that leftover food that we end up just throwing away in the cafeteria? We could set up a system to allow that food to be redistributed to kids and families. Also, my cousin works at a school where they work with a nonprofit called Community Storehouse. ² They identified students who may be food insecure and then work with Community Storehouse to send home a “snack pack” every Friday afternoon. The bags have nonperishable, kid-friendly snacks that can be used to supplement kids’ diets for the weekend. She said it’s been a great success.

Mrs. Lewis nodded again.

Ms. Watson—can you work with Mr. Hawes to see if there’s a similar organization in the area, and brainstorm some ideas of how we could start to identify possible participants? I’m guessing that we have kids who are food insecure who either don’t qualify for the free or reduced meals, or who aren’t applying for some reason. That Venn diagram isn’t going to be a 1:1 overlap. We need to explore data to get a better idea of the breadth and magnitude of this problem here at Copper Springs. We also need to consider how to handle recruitment and distribution so that we treat the issue with confidentiality and sensitivity as much as possible. Teen years are hard enough without us adding to it—our goal here is to support, not to condescend or embarrass.

“Absolutely,” Ms. Watson responded.

I’m up for helping. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have to go through all the pressures of adolescence having to choose between being hungry all the time or sneaking food and being branded a thief. Life can be hard enough, and it looks like we have some fairly simple ways we could help.

Need for Understanding

Goldrick-Rab, Richardson, and Hernandez (2017) define food insecurity as “the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the ability to acquire such foods in a socially acceptable manner” (p. 3). Although their work was focused on college-age students, food insecurity is a problem that K-12 students often face: More than 20% of children below the age of 18 live in poverty, and this does not take into account those who are living in stressed households that do not meet the federal poverty definition, those whose living situations (i.e., in food deserts or where reliable mass or personal transportation is absent) make obtaining nutritious food difficult (Ullucci & Howard, 2015), or immigrant and undocumented students who are generally not eligible for federal assistance programs.

Despite a healthy body of literature on the importance of nutrition in enabling learning, and on the prevalence of food insecurity, even among those participating in free or reduced-price meal programs (e.g., Dykstra et al., 2016), understanding how school leaders do or could use data to examine and address issues of food insecurity in K-12 schools remains underexplored. In higher education, the issue of food insecurity and its negative impact on learning, attendance, and perseverance to graduation is gaining traction (see Broton & Goldrick-Rab, 2016; Cady, 2016; Goldrick-Rab et al., 2017). We would benefit from understanding ways in which K-12 school leaders could marshal data-informed decision-making routines to explore how food insecurity affects students, and then using what they learn through those explorations to forge partnerships with community resources and policy makers to address the problem.

Food Insecurity

Beyond school leaders and data use, however, we do have a growing base of research, news articles, and legislative action related to the problem of food insecurity and potential solutions. Snelling, Maroto, Jacknowitz, and Waxman (2014) identify key factors that contribute to successful school-based food pantry programs, noting the importance of partnerships, support among school staff, adequate and sustainable operating funds, and establishing convenient food delivery times/methods. For some time, schools in Texas had the option of donating surplus foods to nonprofits such as community food banks but were prohibited from distributing food directly to students. Under recent legislative changes, schools may now name an employee as a “designee of a third-party nonprofit, allowing the school to donate and then collect” leftover packaged food, which can be distributed on campus (see Swaby, 2017, para. 8).

Berry and Acheson (2017) note that “at the same time that the United States is landfilling great quantities of food, millions of Americans are living with food insecurity” (p. 47), and also point out that the regulation that comes with oversight of the various national meal programs in the United States can itself hinder getting food to hungry children. Policies related to distribution, safety, and ensuring participation by qualified families are multilayered and sometimes present barriers. For example, one food waste reduction practice involves “share tables,” stations in cafeterias where “students may place whole, unopened, and untouched food from the school lunch program for others to take at no cost” (Berry & Acheson, 2017, p. 49). However, some food may become unsafe after being served, or supervision of share tables may be burdensome in some contexts. Despite barriers, multiple approaches for addressing the issue—from increasing awareness through identification of students in need to connecting hungry students and families with resources to being a part of the resource—are becoming more common in schools.

Equity Audits and Community Walks

One way to begin engaging in data use for equity is through the use of equity audits. Skrla, McKenzie, and Scheurich (2009) describe equity audits as, “A systematic way for school leaders—principals, superintendents, curriculum directors, teacher leaders—to assess the degree of equity or inequity present in three key areas of their schools or districts: programs, teacher quality, and achievement” (p. 3). Since this early work, the concept of equity audits has expanded to include conducting community equity audits (Green, 2017), developing measures for cultural equity audits (Bustamante, Nelson, & Onwuegbuzie, 2009), and using equity audits as a pedagogical tool for developing school leaders of diverse schools (Capper & Young, 2015). Brown (2010) also used equity audits to compare multiple school settings to identify inequities that still exist in schools distinguished as being academically excellent. Although equity audits can be conducted using existing data, collecting community data through something such as a “community walk” will likely be more meaningful and insightful. Broadly defined, a community walk is an experience where participants walk through the neighborhoods or attendance zone surrounding a school (Cruz, 1997; Lauricella, 2012).

Community walks can be led by students, parents, or community members or initiated by school personnel for the purpose of becoming better informed about the contexts and community that their campus serves, which ideally enables more substantive and authentic engagement with the community. Specific to the case of CSMS, a community walk may document a community with photographs, paying particular attention to food resources. Other elements of a community walk would include talking with people in the community, such as families and residents, or the people who work at community-based organizations or in food resource locations. In doing this, teachers and school leaders are capturing qualitative data and “pushing out” into the community (Green, 2017).

Although equity audits and community walks are not new concepts, using these tools in tandem or in conjunction with other data opens the possibilities for considering data from an equity perspective. For example, applying Skrla, McKenzie, and Scheurich’s (2009) campus equity audit model may reveal lower test scores for students identified as “economically disadvantaged” and result in actions related to achievement and programmatic equity. By expanding the data and analysis to include community information (Green et al., 2017), school leaders are better positioned to understand the community influences of hunger and food insecurity on students and respond in more systemic and proactive ways.

Mapping: A Window Into the School Community

To varying degrees, leadership preparation programs seek to cultivate the ideals of social justice within aspiring leaders. Yet, enacting this social justice pedagogy remains challenging. One method for engaging with complex community data is through utilizing GIS mapping. “Maps are visual artifacts of how people see the world as mediated by their particular value systems and relationships of power” (Pacheco & Velez, 2009). Some attention to geospatial analysis has been conducted related to mapping demographic and political patterns of metropolitan areas (Orfield, 2011; Skop, 2009), segregation and schools (Richards, 2014; Siegel-Hawley, 2014), and borderlands grade retention policies (Rodríguez, Amador, & Tarango, 2016).

There are many technology-based options for using GIS for mapping school and community contexts. Platforms such as Social Explorer, Map Project USA, or Simply Analytics provide user-friendly platforms for the creation of maps and integration of data from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, and other large-scale sources of data to examine patterns within districts or school attendance zones. These sites allow users to create maps that show residential patterns for variables related to housing, income, race, poverty, education levels, and so on. Mapping is a way of creating data visualization. Free options are often available or campuses may have licensing agreements for these sites; each site contains tutorials to aid usage. Google Maps or other mapping tools allow users to create collaborative maps and add points of interest (such as schools, grocery stores, parks, libraries, etc.), add photographs, or make notes. Google Maps is also useful for recognizing issues of transit and accessibility within a community. In addition, real estate websites often include information related to schools, crime, amenities, and housing trends. Essentially, there are many ways for students to engage with geospatial data and tools to better understand community contexts.

Focus on Assets and Solutions

With equity audits, community walks, and the use of mapping technology, the intent is not to focus on deficits and what a community lacks, but instead create the opportunity to better understand what resources are present in the lived realities of students and families in the school community. It is important that school leaders recognize how their campuses and the resources their campuses provide fit within this community experience. Too often traditional approaches to data use inherently view students labeled “economically disadvantaged” as deficient, disadvantaged, or lacking. Although the analysis of data through equity audits and community mapping may reveal differences in income, home values, residential patterns, and student test scores, it should also reveal sources of community cultural wealth—or networks of people and community resources (Yosso, 2005).

Transforming data use to incorporate equity must use a solution-focused approach. Stark, McGhee, and Jimerson (2016) note that this framework “assumes competence and good intentions of [people] and respects their experiences” (p. 8). If adopted, this framework builds solutions that highlight and capitalize on the cultural wealth and communal funds of knowledge these individuals possess (Yosso, 2005). The framework is fueled by asset-based thinking instead of the traditional deficit-based thinking, and challenges stereotypical constructs. As Green (2017) asserts, it is difficult to understand another’s perspective if you do not concern yourself with others first.

Extending the Discussion: Beyond the Teaching Notes