Offer applied financial education for your students
Approximately 17% of high school students across the country are required to take at least one semester of personal finance. Yet at low-income schools, less than 4% of students have a similar graduation requirement. Financial education in high school correlates positively to financial outcomes later in life: students with this exposure are more likely to have better credit scores as young adults; are less likely to choose high-risk, high-interest “payday” loans; are more likely to take out low-interest federal loans if necessary in paying for college; and are more likely to graduate from college.
Offering finance education (beginning in middle school) and making it a requirement for high school graduation ensures that students living below the NPPS have equitable access to learning money management skills.
To get started:
Learn about available resources. There are universities and national nonprofits that provide curricula, lesson plans, and resources for teaching financial literacy.
Provide teacher training. There are a number of free teacher training opportunities if you don’t have sufficient funds to train teachers.
Build partnerships with local financial institutions and businesses that can assist with teaching classes or helping to set up in-school credit unions to give students real-world experience.
Best Practices / Innovative Programs
The JA Finance Park is Junior Achievement’s capstone program for personal financial planning and career exploration. This program, comprising a curriculum and a simulation, helps students in grades 7–12 build a foundation on which they can make wise financial decisions that last a lifetime, including decisions related to income, expenses, savings, and credit.
