Does Neighborhood Crime Lessen the Effects of the National School Lunch Program in Chicago Public Schools

A variety of factors influence child development, including family-level and environmental factors. Existing literature indicates that families unable to provide proper nutrition and food security may contribute to children with poorer academic and disciplinary outcomes. Several studies have found that the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) can be an effective vehicle in mitigating the negative effects of food insecurity. In regards to environmental factors, the literature suggests exposure to neighborhood crime may cause poorer academic and disciplinary outcomes for students. My paper seeks to explore the interaction between the effects of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the NSLP and neighborhood crime on Chicago public high school students by using administrative data from the Chicago school system combined with violent crime data from the Chicago police department in a fixed effects model. Initial results indicate that CEP participation is associated with a higher college enrollment rate and a lower dropout and suspension rate, though the association is weaker in higher crime areas.