This collection contains stories about efforts to improve school lunches. Several of them deal with the questions of how to provide healthier lunches on tight budgets, and how to get children to eat those healthier lunches. But there are some surprising stories, too, which examine deeper social, economic, and political issues. In India, for example, the school lunch program is breaking down caste barriers. In Brazil, it's providing a lucrative market for small farmers. And in San Diego, a halal option is helping Muslim students to feel welcome. 

1. In Fruit not Fries, NPR reports: "Amid rising childhood obesity rates, there's been a surge of interest in recent years in applying lessons from behavioral economics to getting kids to make better choices in the lunchroom." What does behavioral economics have to say about "nudging" people's behavior? Why isn't it enough just to offer healthy meals? What does this answer tell us about behavior change programs in general? Are there other issues confronting public schools that could be addressed through the lessons of behavioral economics? What are they, and how might behavioral economists address them?
2. Brazil's school lunch program describes small farmers supplying food for school lunches. Why did it take three years for the first local farmer to be able to sell produce to Sao Paulo's school lunch program? What are the reasons why the poorest farmers still don't participate? Summarize the benefits the local farmers receive by participating in this program. Describe steps that the Brazilian government could take to help the poorest farmers participate in the program. Evaluate the relative benefits and costs of school food being provided by large multinational corporations versus by local family farmers.
3. Why a drumstick means progress … describes how and why a high school in San Diego started offering a halal option at lunch. Describe this program and why it was started. Explain, in the context of this article, the relationship between faith traditions and food. What other "food rules" can you name that are related to various religions? Can you hypothesize about why these rules originated? Why do you think the students at Crawford High will eat more of the halal dish? What does your answer tell you about behavior change programs in general? Describe how your answer applies to two other articles in this collection.
4. List the issues around caste and food service outlined in the article on India's school lunch program. Why is the school lunch program in India so important? Are these the same reasons why school lunches are important in the United States? How does India's school lunch program help to reduce discrimination against lower castes? What is it about the school lunch program that helps to break down the barriers between castes? How does literacy help this effort? Are the outcomes of the India program applicable to the U.S.? How so? If not, why not?
5. Describe the similarities between what's going on at Fenway High as described in Fenway High 'test kitchen,' and the process of testing a commercial product. Is such a process appropriate for public schools? Why or why not? What can school lunch programs learn from food companies and restaurants? In general, what can public health efforts learn from for-profit companies? Are there lessons that public health efforts shouldn't learn?