Student Improve-mint

Educators today have a new tool to hand out before tests along with No. 2 pencils and words of encouragement. Across the nation, they’re giving their students peppermints, which reportedly increase performance and raise grades.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati previously examined the correlation between peppermint and mental acuity and found that a sniff or two of mint leads to improved focus and increased alertness in some skill areas.

Principal Charlotte Boucher of Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring, Maryland, ordered 3,600 peppermint candies to give to students before state assessment exams last March. She said she had originally heard about peppermints improving grades as professional gossip, but decided to give them to students just to give them something to snack on and relax with during the exam. “We wanted the students to know we were supporting them,” said Boucher. “If the mints would give them a break, that could only be good. And if they boost the test scores, well, we’re OK with that too.”

—Danielle Taylor