Today nutrition in school is such a hot topic. Bills are being passed to promote healthy meals for children and children are also being taught healthy habits to take home to their families. Looking back on my past education, I do not feel like I had all the resources that are provided for children today. I never took any nutrition classes prior to my first college nutrition class, Nutrition 251. I was forced to do all my nutrition research on my own time. I think this is a positive step in nutrition for young children. I found a great article called “Nutrition Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools.” This article offered me really interesting information and statistics on the nutrition provided in schools today.
For instance, I was thrilled to find out that 99 percent of all public schools incorporate some kind of nutrition education into their curriculum. This nutrition education can be tied in with a science class or a school health program. I found that very interesting, because I attended both a public and private school. Neither of these schools stressed nutrition education.
It was also interesting to see that schools focus on “good nutrition.” They want their students to understand this concept to the best of their knowledge. This unfortunately takes a toll on how good nutrition can be carried out. This article feels that schools should also incorporate motivation, attitudes, and eating behaviors into their lectures. I also agree. Motivation, attitudes, and eating behaviors is important in creating a positive change in a person’s diet.
I was very surprised to learn that the nutrition related talks given in schools are often based off of the information and resources already provided. These teachers often use science books that barely offer any nutrition information. They are not given the proper tools they need to teach a nutrition class. Therefore, these lectures are based off an elementary school level. I would begin to believe that most of the information taught is information that these students already understand.
Fortunately, 84 percent of schools believe that they serve healthy meals to their students. These schools are more likely to have nutrition education available for their students. It is like a chain reaction. These schools are promoting healthy meals, and they want their students to take this information home to their families. They hope that educating their students on nutrition in school will promote healthy living outside of school. 
http://blog.timesunion.com/healthylifemagazine/files/2012/08/HL_SchoolLunch_iStock18532979.jpg
As a nutritional educator, I would use this article to help promote healthy eating in schools. I would like to promote better nutrition programs in grades kindergarten through the twelfth grade. I believe nutrition is an important concept for children to learn as they are developing. This way healthy living becomes a good habit at a young age. After seeing these statistics all schools would understand how beneficial the class would be. They would also see how many other schools are already doing it. I personally feel that this article is important to all nutrition educators. It is very enjoyable to read, and it provides a great deal of useful information.
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/96852/