Is children's free school meal 'eligibility' a good proxy for family income?
Is children's free school meal 'eligibility' a good proxy for family income?
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DOI：
10.1080/01411920903083111
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
Vignoles, Anna
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hobbs, Graham;Vignoles, Anna
家庭收入是影响孩子学业成绩的重要因素。然而，英国研究的关键领域（例如，关于社会隔离的学校教育）和政策（例如，对学校的资金分配）依赖于儿童的免费校餐（FSM）“资格”来代表家庭收入。本文在一项具有全国代表性的英格兰调查（家庭资源调查）中考察了儿童FSM“资格”与等效家庭净收入之间的关系。研究发现，“有资格”获得FSM的儿童比其他儿童更有可能生活在最低收入家庭。然而，在2004/5年度，只有大约四分之一到一半的人属于最低收入家庭。这主要是因为接受经济状况调查的福利（和税收抵免）使有资格享受FSM的孩子在家庭收入分配中处于高位。讨论了对研究和政策关键领域的影响。
Family income is an important factor associated with children's educational achievement. However, key areas of UK research (for example, on socially segregated schooling) and policy (for example, the allocation of funding to schools) rely on children's free school meal (FSM) 'eligibility' to proxy family income. This article examines the relationship between children's FSM 'eligibility' and equivalent net household income in a nationally representative survey of England (the Family Resources Survey). It finds that children 'eligible' for FSM are much more likely than other children to be in the lowest income households. However, only around one-quarter to one-half of them were in the lowest income households in 2004/5. This is principally because the receipt of means-tested benefits (and tax credits) pushes children eligible for FSM up the household income distribution. The implications for key areas of research and policy are discussed.