1. In the Philadelphia School District, principals are evaluated yearly through a personal 'report card' in areas including student attendance and math and reading performance of students. Why will Philidelphia school principals now also be held accountable for the number of students eating breakfast in their schools?

2. a) What income level makes a student eligible for free breakfasts in Philadelphia?
b) How many of the 165,000 Philadelphia public school students ate breakfast at school last year?

3. Why does Michael Lerner of the School Administrators union have a problem with the new mandate holding principals accountable for the number of students eating breakfast in their schools?

4. a) How does Wayne Grasela, the head of the food services company serving the public schools, address the issue of kids who eat at home in para. 14?
b) In addition to wanting "to help improve a child's ability to learn," why might the head of the food services company want the Philadelphia School District to require all principals to increase the number of students eating breakfast at school? (see para. 7-8 and 14 for Grasela's comments)

5. Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, a Washington nonprofit that works to eradicate hunger said in para. 19, "Making principals accountable for breakfast is critical. School breakfast is so important that it makes sense to hold people in the system responsible." Do you agree with Mr. Weill's assertion? Explain your answer.

6. Is it fair to kids who eat breakfast at home to require them to come early and sit in the cafeteria so the principals can make their breakfast attendance quota, or to lose learning time during first period while some of their classmates are being served breakfast? Explain your answer.

7. Re-read para. 21-25 and answer the following:
a) Where and when do the majority of Philadelphia schools serve breakfast to students?
b) Why have principals opposed serving breakfast to students in the classroom during their first period classes?
c) What do you think of the Pennsylvania Department of Education's attempt to remove the principals' concern (in para. 24)?

8. Instead of mandating that principals be responsible for kids eating breakfast, what are some ways the school district could encourage parents to take responsibility for providing breakfast for their kids?

9. a) Ask a parent where/when they ate breakfast as a student and what they think of the Philadelphia School District's mandate to principals regarding student breakfast.
b) Ask at least one grandparent or older relative the same question.