Laura Ewing President/CEO 1801 Allen Parkway, Houston, TX P: F: Helping young people learn to think, choose, and make better economic and financial choices in a global economy

Staff Development Economics Entrepreneurship Career/Business Financial Literacy

Virtual Economics Training VE 4.0 CD/Pin Drive with lessons Training in 106 Texas districts with at least one of lowest performing schools in nation 36 trainings for 650 teachers Funded by State Farm and Council for Economic Education

10 week simulation Grades 4 through 12 Teams of 2 to 5 Virtual $100,000 to invest 35,000 to 40,000 Texas students participate annually Legislative Challenge Research indicates improved math scores on standardized tests

Economics Challenge Fall and Spring Online Testing In Micro, Macro and International Economics Adam Smith Division 2nd place national champs Bellaire HS 2010 David Ricardo Division 3 rd place national champs Plano HS 2010

Personal Financial Literacy Challenge Premier Challenge: spring 2011 with campus online testing “State Play-Offs” with 20 teams and 10 teachers invited April fall and spring online challenge will determine state finalist

A FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM SPONSORED BY Helping young people learn to think, choose, and make better economic and financial choices in a global economy

Opportunity Texas: Asset Building Council for Economic Education Based on Smart Tennessee Program

? Economics With Emphasis on the Free Enterprise system is taught at the senior level and is required for graduation (only 21 states require this) State legislature has required that all students graduate having learned personal financial literacy concepts In May 2010 the SBOE affixed the PFL TEKS to the Economics course

? SB 290/ HB 3232 passed the House and Senate and was signed by Governor Rick Perry in the 2011 legislative session. AN ACT relating to including a personal financial literacy component in public school mathematics instruction. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Section , Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (a) The Texas essential knowledge and skills and, as applicable, Section shall require instruction in personal financial literacy in: (1) mathematics instruction in kindergarten through grade eight; and (2) one or more courses required for high school graduation.

? So, what does Smarter Texas offer? Continued PFL staff development for senior level economics with realization that as an initiation into the financial literacy concepts it is too little/too late PFL Challenge for middle and high school competition to reinforce learning Introduction of PFL at the elementary level, greater depth and breadth at middle school and then refinement at the high school level

Resources for lessons? – Financial Fitness For Life – Spiraled Curriculum – As funding available, each teacher receives $79.00 bundle Kindergarten – Grade 2 Grades 3 – 5 Grades 6 – 8 Grades 9 – 12

Additional Resources for lessons? Financing Your Future CD with high school level lessons – Hands on Banking CD with Spiraled Curriculum

Valerie Johse, Retired Elementary Math Specialist in Pearland ISD, has stated: “I do know that kids have even fewer experiences with money than ever before. The days of sending lunch money and ice cream money are gone. Everything is put into an account for the kids at school. Then all they see is their parents using plastic even to pay for a drink at Sonic! Children truly don’t have a sense of money and using it wisely for their needs.”

? Pilot program: Training for 100 teachers in the Houston area must be completed by October 31, grade 3 to 5 teachers (no spots remaining) 25 grade 6 to 8 teachers (15 spots remaining) 50 grade 9 to 12 teachers (no spots remaining) All receive Financial Fitness for Life materials free

? Smarter Texas program teachers will need to: Take a pre and post quiz during the training Complete at least a three hour training Give students a pre and post test and submit results to TCEE Provide lessons to students each year At least 20 teachers need to register and have teams complete PFL Challenge

? During the pilot program, teachers outside of Houston can still: – Receive training in PFL – Obtain free materials: Financing Your Future, Hands on Banking and Financial Fitness for Life Through VE4.0 – Have teams participate in Finance/PFL Challenge

According to September 10, 2010 USA Today article, “Student Loan Debt Exceeds Credit Card Debt in U.S.” Total student loan debt $850 million Consumers owed $828 billion in revolving credit, including credit card debt, according to July 2010 seasonally adjusted numbers given in Federal Reserve Bank report

Long Term Goal: Encourage students to save money for college Possibly work with funding institutions to do some matching funds Terminology moving from financial literacy to financial capability and asset building Students with savings accounts are 4 times more likely to go to college and if in their name, 7 times more likely.