Boston (PRWEB) January 10, 2012
As the U.S. continues to face a sluggish economy that some policymakers predict will continue into 2013, schools nationwide are using the current trends to teach students important lessons about financial literacy. Policymakers at the highest levels of government have weighed in, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Investing in financial literacy will ensure that teachers have the tools and resources they need to help students make informed decisions about pursuing and paying for college, and planning for the future,” Secretary Duncan said in remarks about the importance of training students for the global economy.
Schools and districts in at least five states—New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida and Illinois—have opted for customized learning texts that address the basics of finance and economics. In Virginia, for example, the learning company Pearson created a comprehensive set of personal finance materials, aligned to the state’s newly created financial and economic academic standards. These standards focus on concepts that help students interpret news and real-world events, understand how the world’s economies work together and develop critical thinking skills such as economic reasoning, decision making and problem solving. Virginia students are learning about financial planning, personal finances and how investing in education and training improves their prospects for future fiscal success.
And in Illinois, Warren Township High School educators recently worked with Pearson to create a customized high school text that integrates financial literacy into the economics classroom.
“Opting for course materials designed solely to address what we’re teaching in Warren Township was a simple and affordable solution to align our economics course with our complete learning framework. In the past, we’ve had to rely on several different sources to fulfill our academic goals, but with our new customized learning materials we’re addressing real-world skills in tandem with higher-level concepts,” Warren Township teacher Dave Zaban said.
For more information about Pearson’s custom publishing programs for school districts, visit http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/school.
Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, has global reach and market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO).
Media contact: Susan Aspey, susan.aspey(at)pearson(dot)com or (800) 745-8489