Only 1 in 6 students currently attends a high school where personal finance is a required course; that number is 1 in 12 in low-income communities. That was a key finding of our recent research report "Who has access to financial education in America today?"

Why do I have hope that we can do better?

One big reason: the passionate community of educators that I have encountered on my travels throughout the country over the past three years since founding NGPF. They (you) have this can-do spirit, this fervor, this glint in their eye to make a difference in the communities they teach. They (you) describe heroic tales of persistence in starting courses at their (your) high school or expanding programs to add additional students or even getting the class to be a graduation requirement so that ALL students develop these critical skills. Look for an exciting announcement later this week about enhanced tools that we have developed to support your work on the front lines. 

On the subject of advocacy, NGPF Fellow Jill Wilson, reached out to us a few months ago with news that a not-so-neighboring school board (Douglas County which is a 3 1/2 hour drive from her home) wanted to create a task force to study how to bring financial education to their district. As the task force was being created, Jill offered to serve as a resource and ultimately took on a leadership role. Her task was to evaluate financial education programs that would meet the district's needs. Rather than say anymore, let me turn it over to Jill who inspired us with her passionate advocacy.

Thank you Jill! 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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