Skip to main content

Developing and Evaluating Methods for Using American Community Survey Data to Support the School Meals Programs Interim Report (2010) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:

Executive Summary
Pages 1-4

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 1...
... To reduce the substantial burden on families and schools and expand access to school meals, USDA regulations allow school districts to operate their school meals programs under special provisions that eliminate the application process and some other administrative activities in exchange for providing free meals to all students enrolled in one or more schools in a district. Under the most commonly adopted provisions, USDA reimburses districts for meals served on the basis of data collected in a "base year," during which applications are taken.
Read the entire page →
From page 2...
... To develop methods for deriving eligibility estimates for the school meals programs, the panel will assess which combination of ACS variables most closely reflects the eligibility criteria of the programs, working with the Census Bureau to obtain ACS estimates for school districts. School district boundaries are maintained in the bureau's geographic database (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing, TIGER)
Read the entire page →
From page 3...
... The panel will also determine how to use the ACSbased eligibility estimates and other data to derive claiming percentages for reimbursement that reflect the patterns of student participation and the meals that would be served under a new provision with universal free meals. Although the Census Bureau is producing ACS and SAIPE estimates for school districts, it does not maintain geographic information or produce estimates for school attendance areas.
Read the entire page →

Key Terms

  • school meals
  • free meals
  • special provision
  • meals programs
  • school district

  • estimation methods
  • six school
  • universal free
  • student participation
  • eligibility estimates

  • individual schools
  • using data
  • acs estimates
  • census bureau
  • allow school

  • single school
  • school attendance
  • district boundaries
  • application process
  • substantial burden

  • sampling errors
  • sufficiently accurate
  • current provisions
  • expand access
  • saipe estimates

  • compare potential
  • maintain geographic
  • current procedures
  • providing universal
  • closely reflects


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
    More information on Chapter Skim is available.