• wi$e Announces 100 Best High Schools For Personal Finance Education (Press release):

The 100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance recognizes the top performing high schools in w!se’s national network. The Top 3 ranked schools for 2016 are: Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, NJ; Aviation High School in Long Island City, NY; and HS for Math, Science & Engineering @ CCNY, New York, NY

• What makes for a successful school-based personal finance program (NPR)?

According to research appearing in the Journal of Consumer Affairs and comments from CFPB Chief Cordray, four factors matter:

1. People need to know where to get more information (we have Webquests and Activities focused on Research)
2. Students have to practice (think experiential learning and NGPF Projects)
3. Incorporate into math class (check out our Data Crunches)
4. Just-in-time education

• Bloomington (Minnesota) and Richfield high school students learning personal finance (Sun Current):

Educators, meanwhile, are working to make sure their students are thinking about money in the proper context – not simply something to spend, but something to save and manage. While her school was already teaching personal finance as part of the business program, Richfield High School teacher Courtnee Floback noticed some anxiety in her classes last year.

• State of Kansas launches new financial literacy website (Ottawa Herald)

The state of Kansas launched a new financial literacy website earlier this month in an effort to combat some of the challenges Kansans face with money management. The site includes the Kansas Financial Learning Center, an interactive website that offers 16 modules on a variety of financial topics.

• Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia partnering with Philadelphia city schools to bolster financial literacy (thenotebook.com):

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and the city’s initiative to further financial education is a part of a yearly effort to promote financial literacy in grades K-12. The specific focus this year will be on providing practical financial knowledge to the District’s 12,000 seniors.

The program will include a financial literacy course and the introduction of the Money Smart card, which will be given to seniors. This card provides contact information for nonprofits and government agencies that youth can consult for free when confronting personal finance issues such as student loan navigation.

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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