Before they head out on their own after high school, there are a few skills that young people should probably have.
The ability to understand and manage finances is definitely on that list, which is why it’s puzzling to us that most school districts still don’t require any type of financial literacy coursework for their students.
We were impressed to learn about the programming from Economic Literacy Colorado, and its use in Windsor Middle School by educator Brent Carmichael. Carmichael’s students go through the Stock Market Experience, which gives students $100,000 fictional dollars to invest how they choose. The program culminates in a statewide competition, with Windsor kids often placing well among their peers from other schools.
Since there’s no school district requirement for this type of coursework, it’s currently up to individual schools and educators to decide they want to prioritize financial literacy for their students. In addition to the Stock Market Experience, Economic Literacy Colorado offers continuing education coursework for educators. These courses offer strategies to help teachers bring topics like global economics, debt, and economic reasoning to their classrooms.Data from Economic Literacy Colorado shows that 17 teachers from Greeley and 25 more from surrounding districts have participated in the program in the last three years. We think that’s a great start.