Giving Compass' Take:

• Matt Barnum reports on a study that suggests how free lunch for all programs in school, especially those targeted in high-poverty districts, could result in fewer school suspensions.

• While the data would still need to be verified, it's worth looking at how we can reduce the stigma of free lunches in general and make sure every student has access to complete, healthy meals.

• Learn how we can put an end to lunch shaming in schools.

Allowing an entire school to eat for free, instead of restricting free lunch to students whose families fill out forms, can reduce the number of students who get suspended multiple times, according to a new study.

It’s the latest evidence that universal meal programs, which have also been linked to higher test scores and better health in other research, help students.

“There are many potential benefits to providing universal free meals in high-poverty schools, including achievement impacts … and of course whatever reduction in kids going hungry comes with it,” said Nora Gordon of Georgetown University, who wrote the paper along with Krista Ruffini at the University of California at Berkeley.

The study, which was released last week by the National Bureau of Economic Research and has not been formally peer reviewed, focuses on the federal free lunch program’s “community eligibility” initiative, which allowed schools where many students qualified for free or reduced price lunch to provide the free meal to all students. This was designed to reduce the stigma of receiving the meals among low-income students, streamline paperwork, and ensure no student went hungry.

Read the full article about the benefits of expanding school lunch programs by Matt Barnum at Chalkbeat.