IN 1986, in a few of the poorest neighborhoods in Kingston, Jamaica, a team of researchers from the University of the West Indies embarked on an experiment that has done a great deal, over time, to change our thinking about how to help children succeed, especially those living in poverty.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is not just the nation's largest nutrition assistance program, but it is also a key social infrastructure bridging the chasm separating "working hungry" families from families that are financially stable. But the SNAP formula that determines benefits based on how much it costs to provide families with good nutrition needs 21st century updates.