Ensure your students learn real-world lessons by getting them involved in these fun activities, helping them calculate the cost of college, and teaching them to utilize the “economic way of thinking.”
Capstone Course of Financial Literacy Framework Equips Students With Necessary Real-World Skills
For many years, Illinois has placed a high priority on the financial literacy of its students, as one of the first states to implement rigorous economic and personal finance standards. This semester, its largest city continues to raise the bar for school systems nationwide: Chicago Public Schools (CPS) introduces a dedicated personal finance course for 12th-graders with resources developed by the Council for Economic Education (CEE). Read more…
Three times a year the Council for Economic Education releases the CEE Report, highlighting our new and noteworthy events, programs and partnerships, including pilot programs and joint ventures with key supporters.
“Too often, young people fall into financial trouble because they don’t take the time to understand basic economics or the ramifications of a financial agreement. Credit cards, car loans and home mortgages are great tools when used wisely, but the recent housing crisis is an example of what can go wrong when consumers make uninformed decisions. By supporting early and ongoing economic and financial literacy, we can help our young people secure a sound financial future.”
- Mel Martinez, Chairman of the Southeast & Latin America, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Chairman, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, at the 2012 Visionary Awards
Upcoming Events
2012 Visionary Awards
Note from Nan
EconomicsPennsylvania Engages Students in Entrepreneurial Experiences
51st Annual Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference
2012 Accomplishments
CEE Integrates Personal Finance Concepts into Classroom Curriculum
Never Too Young: Personal Finance for K–5 After-School
CEE ’s Advocacy Toolkit
Gen i Revolution Goes Mobile: CEE Partners with H&R Block
CEE Launches Interactive Survey of the States
Free Webinars for K–12 Educators
CEE Asked Students ‘What Should the Next President Do to Improve the Economy?’
As teachers, you know personal finance skills are critical to your students’ future success, but educating them in a way that is as intriguing as texting and gaming can be a challenge.
H&R Block Dollars & Sense, which provides personal finance curriculum and scholarships to high schools nationwide, has partnered with CEE to bring additional financial education resources to teachers across America, powered by Gen i Revolution, an online game that provides a fun and motivating learning environment for students. Read more…
Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke addressed the nation this week through his “Conversation with the Chairman: A Teacher Town Hall Meeting” live video conference.
The subject? Financial literacy.
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the growing concern continues to be how we as a nation will teach our children the importance of financial literacy so they do not make the same mistakes. Chairman Bernanke opened the town hall with a brief speech where he gave credit to the Council for Economic Education’s National Standards for Personal Finance (to be released later this year) by saying “To provide the most effective education, curriculums should also have clear standards and goals…The five core competencies are reflected in the National Standards for Personal Finance being developed by the Council for Economic Education; several of our Federal Reserve System colleagues are working with the Council on this project.”
Chairman Bernanke graciously took questions from economics and personal finance educators who gathered at each of the Federal Reserve banks across the country. Educators asked questions covering the gamut of topics, from which current events should be taught in the classroom to how to prevent the next financial crisis.
The Chairman’s responses were coincidentally much aligned to the work we do at CEE. He recommended games and simulations as one of the best ways to teach young students about personal finance. CEE’s own Gen i Revolution is a free, online personal finance game that teaches high school students the basics of personal finance, including creating budgets, basic investing and how to use credit wisely.
Teachers understand the importance of drawing on real-world scenarios to teach their students in the classroom. Chairman Bernanke addressed the question from a teacher of which current events should be taught in the classroom. There is no definite answer to which specific events, but any current news items make for good classroom fodder. EconEdLink, CEE’s free classroom resources for K-12 teachers of economics and personal finance, provides access to the latest economic news and information and related lesson plans in Teaching the News.
CEE convened our own panel of educators to watch the Chairman’s address, and we continued the conversation after the town hall ended.
Dawn Shum, an elementary teacher in New York, reiterated the importance of personal finance in the classroom and at home by saying, “We need to educate elementary students beyond identifying quarters and dimes.”
We couldn’t agree more.
CEE thanks the Chairman and the Federal Reserve for bringing attention to the importance of financial literacy, and for taking questions from our nation’s educators who work tirelessly to teach these life skills to future generations.
View Chairman Bernanke’s address here. Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Annamaria Lusardi is the Denit Trust professor of economics and accountancy at the George Washington School of Business.
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