CEE is pleased to introduce Gen i: Murktide Invasion and Gen i: Beyond the Mission, two new interactive games based on Gen i Revolution, that tap into the power of social and digital media to teach your students about saving and investing.

Available online and as Facebook applications, Murktide Invasion and Beyond the Mission are designed for students in grades 6–12. The games challenge players to put their investing knowledge to the test in a series of questions, going head-to-head with the “Murktide,” a network of double agents spreading false information about finance across the country.

Are you ready to take on the Murktide?

Play on the Gen i Revolution website.

Play on Facebook.

Gen i: Murktide Invasion and Gen i: Beyond the Mission were made possible by generous funding from H&R Block Dollars & Sense, which works to increase teens’ financial fitness nationwide.

POSTED: June 18, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: 9-12, Financial Literacy, Gen i Revolution, Lessons, personal finance, Quiz, Students

The University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for Economic Education hosted a China Seminar for teachers this June. Nebraska’s top export destinations are Canada, followed by Mexico, then Japan and China. But the growth is with the world’s most populous nation: Exports of Nebraska farm products, machinery, chemicals and other goods to China more than doubled between 2005 and 2010 to $229 million, according to state records.

“The event was sponsored by the University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for Economic Education, an effort now in its fifth year to encourage teachers to emphasize economic and financial proficiency among their students. About 40 Nebraska teachers attended Tuesday, with expert speakers from business, government and academia scheduled to continue today.”

“The goal is to teach more economics to teachers so they can teach the students,” said James Dick, director of the UNO Center for Economic Education.”

Sid Conrad, an economics teacher at the middle school and high school in Norris, said his students always get a big helping of international trade in his classes. A better working knowledge of Nebraska’s external ties, he said, will allow him to devise talking points that he said will better resonate with Nebraska students.

“International trade is a huge issue,” he said. “Basically, the more you trade, the wealthier you get.”

You can find full coverage of the event and the work done by the UNO Center here.

POSTED: June 17, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: Councils & Centers, economics, Lessons, teachers, training

Overwhelming Majority of Americans Believe Financial Literacy Should be Taught in Schools

The FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation) released the results of America’s State-by-State Financial Capability Survey. The survey findings are available at www.usfinancialcapability.org, which features an interactive map of the United States, and allows the public, policymakers and researchers to delve into and compare the financial capabilities of Americans across all 50 states and the nation as a whole.

The 2012 Survey asked respondents whether they thought financial education should be taught in schools. An overwhelming majority (89%) of respondents said yes, indicating strong support for increased school based financial education.  As of June 2013, only 16 states require that some sort of personal finance education be offered in high schools and only 15 states require that course for graduation. The Council for Economic Education is working with state affiliates to increase these numbers so that more students have exposure to this important topic as part of the required curriculum. Read more…

POSTED: June 17, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: Councils & Centers, Financial Literacy, FINRA, partners, personal finance, Professional Development, Research, Survey of the States

The Council for Economic Education proudly congratulates John Cook, Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year, awarded by the Georgia Council on Economic Education.

John Cook had two teachers growing up in Cordele, Ga., – Janet Robinson and Sharon Stewart – who had such an impact on his learning, they inspired his teaching style.

“They made their subjects come alive in a way that continues to stay with me,” says Cook, who now teaches economics at South Effingham High School in Guyton, Georgia.  “Mrs. Stewart taught my enrichment class in middle school, and we were always putting on radio plays or doing activities like building bridges out of toothpicks. Mrs. Robinson was my ninth grade English teacher, and she was great at getting me excited about reading and writing. I remember both teachers’ classrooms always being welcoming, exciting places. They both gave me a love for school.” Read more…

POSTED: June 7, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: Awards, Councils & Centers, economics, teachers, teaching awards

The Council for Economic Education recognizes excellence in economic education by honoring three outstanding educators from the New York Metropolitan area with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Teaching Champion Award.

This award promotes economic education at the K-12 level by recognizing and honoring teachers who effectively deliver this important content in and out of their classrooms and achieve results.

REQUIREMENTS:

The entries must be submitted electronically by 11:59pm ET on July 15, 2013.

Materials to submit:

• Answers to all online questions
• Two lessons
• Three letters of recommendation
• Resume

ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants must teach in one of the twelve New York State counties (New York, Kings, Bronx, Richmond, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange and Dutchess), eight New Jersey counties (Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Union, Morris, Monmouth), or the two Connecticut counties (Fairfield and New Haven).

This award is open to teachers of all subjects, not just teachers of economics. Applicants must demonstrate how they integrate economics into their teaching. Teachers will not have had to participate in previous CEE training to be eligible.  All K-12 certified teachers from public, private or parochial schools may enter, and you must have taught in the classroom during the 2012-2013 school year.

AWARDEES WILL RECEIVE:

• A cash award of $5,000.
• A cash award for their school of $2,500 to support economic and financial education.
•Recognition at CEE’s Visionary Awards in NYC on October 22, 2013.
•A scholarship to attend the 52nd Annual Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference in Baltimore, MD, October 3-5, 2013.

For more information, including selection criteria and entry requirements, and to enter, please visit the website and complete the online form.

POSTED: June 6, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: Awards, economics, Lessons, teachers, teaching awards, visionary awards

Bergen County Academies of Hackensack, NJ placed first in their state and 25th overall in the National Semi-Finals of the 2013 National Economics Challenge.

The winning team recently visited the CNBC Worldwide Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, NJ with Joe DiFiglia, Executive Director of the New Jersey Council for Economic Education.

Congratulations to the team for their first place win in New Jersey, and here’s a photo of the team, their teacher and Joe enjoying the tour of CNBC.

POSTED: June 5, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: Councils & Centers, economics, economics challenge, Students