School Lunch Guidelines; College Applications & ‘Ban The Box’; White Lies Research
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Today on the 21st: we discuss recent changes to school lunch guidelines. We'll also explore how committing a crime can affect someones chance at a college education and learn about new research about whether it's more kind to tell white lies or the full truth.
About a month ago, for the first time since 2012, the USDA announced that they are rolling back some Obama-era regulations around school lunches.
Since the announcement, critics like the American Heart Association have expressed concern we’re reversing our progress on making school lunches, and the kids that eat them, healthier. Supporters of the change say though they now have more flexibility and contend these changes will lead to less food waste.
We talk with Meghan Gibbons, the executive director of the Illinois School Nutrition Association and Lyndsay Jones, an education reporter for The News-Gazette in Champaign.
"What's happened with the USDA is that they're giving us flexibility," says @GibbonsMeghan.
— The 21st (@21stShow) January 8, 2019
Read more of @__lyndsayjones' reporting here:https://t.co/CwdqgnXchg
Plus -
In addition to the layers of paperwork involved in applying to higher education, many colleges require potential students to check a box if they have ever committed a crime.
Advocates have said this question actually hurts people who are trying to turn their lives around. Late last year, the Common Application, used by 750 American colleges, decided to stop asking this question on their application forms.
But there’s still a lot of disagreement over this question of “banning the box.” Individual colleges can still choose whether to ask it, and here in Illinois, most institutions of higher education oppose legislation to remove it.
We talk with Lee Gaines, a reporter for Illinois Newsroom, Chris Miner, a graduate of U of I, Aaron Woodruff, the chief of Illinois State University’s police department, and Khadine Bennett, the director of advocacy and intergovernmental affairs with the ACLU of Illinois.
“I just sat there and stared at the screen for like 10 minutes,” he said. “It was like everything, every advancement I had made so far might be over with, maybe this is the end of the ride.”
— The 21st (@21stShow) January 8, 2019
More of @LeeVGaines' reporting on #banthebox: https://t.co/vTuE96rp1I
And -
We’ve been talking about New Year’s resolutions this week. Yesterday, we discussed ways to stay in shape and eat better, and today we talk about telling the truth.
We learn more from Emma Levine, assistant professor of behavioral science at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Her new research explores the consequences of honesty in everyday life. It turns out people can often afford to be more honest than they think.
Behavioral Scientist Emma Levine @ChicagoBooth says we overestimate the cost of honesty and underestimate its rewards.
— The 21st (@21stShow) January 8, 2019
When you tell someone that they look great if they don't, it's part to avoid hurting feelings and part to avoid "social distress." https://t.co/EPoJ8DnW5a