Financial education is a pivotal skill for young people to develop, as it prepares them for the challenges and opportunities ahead in adulthood. However, many high school students in the US lack access to high-quality and engaging financial education curriculum that meets their needs and interests. Research states that effective financial education programs are positively correlated with improved financial behaviors and decision-making surrounding credit and retirement planning. That’s why we at EVERFI partner with financial institutions to scale online financial education courses and equip schools with all the resources they need to facilitate impactful learning experiences.
Progress Update on US State Mandates
We are delighted to report that as of the summer of 2024, twenty-six US states now guarantee high schoolers will experience a standalone personal finance course before they graduate. This is a significant increase from just two years prior, when only fourteen states had such requirements. This shows that policymakers, educators, and parents are increasingly recognizing the importance of financial education and continue to advocate for students to learn these skills in school.
Although this is great progress, the requirements established by these mandates vary greatly by state. The learning standards for financial education and the method of instruction is largely determined at the state and local level. As part of EVERFI’s mission to prepare students for their financial future, we are committed to scaling financial education in a way that meets the unique needs of teachers and schools no matter where they are.
Challenges with Scaling Financial Education
No single learning experience can meet the needs of all school districts and teachers. This is clear from how much variety exists within the learning standards adopted at the state level. Although they often have some level of overlap, the topics and sub-topics chosen as requirements for the learning standards are influenced by what the region values most and the local needs of their demographic.
In some regions, financial education requirements are deeply influenced by economics or career-preparation skills. In other cases, it is treated as a completely standalone subject. Financial education standards can often be robust and very specific in identifying what students should walk away knowing, or they can be broad and only focus on what teachers should instruct at a higher level.
An educator’s experience and credentials are also something that varies by region. Some schools rely on their social studies department to teach this subject matter, while others turn to their career/technical or business educators to facilitate the learning experience. Research shows that 4 in 5 adults have not received financial education in school, which may signal that teachers themselves may not be well-equipped with the valuable pre-requisite experience to effectively teach this content. An emerging trend to combat this within some states is the requirement for teachers to have a valid financial literacy credential to teach financial education
EVERFI’s Approach
EVERFI’s products and content are well suited to solve these challenges and scale financial education in a way that works for all teachers. We design content with a modular framework that allows for flexibility in content inclusion and sequence of instruction. Every digital lesson we create is paired with guides, lesson plans and other supplemental materials that provide teachers with all the resources they need to facilitate in-classroom learning alongside the digital experience for students.
EVERFI aligns its content to the Jump$tart National Standards for Personal Financial Education, which covers a diverse range of sub-topics with personal finance. We also provide states and school districts with localized alignment guides tailored to each state’s required learning standards. We even meet some state’s financial education standards entirely. Our mission is to make our content both effective for learners and easy for teachers to implement in the classroom.
New EVERFI: Financial Literacy Flagship Course
To reflect best practices and our commitment to meeting the needs of teachers, we are launching a new version of EVERFI: Financial Literacy® for High School course. This new course’s design now comes with eleven lessons, instead of seven, making it more bite-sized and easily digestible for students. We have designed the course experience to be more flexible and comprised of standalone experiences.
The new lessons in this course are:
- Consumer Skills
- Smart Money Habits
- Budgeting
- Checking Accounts
- Savings Accounts
- Credit & Debt Basics
- Education ROI
- Education & Financial Aid
- Exploring Jobs & Careers
- Beginning Employment
- Insurance Basics
The new format achieves the same interactivity that teachers and students love in our courses and makes it easier for teachers to pick the subjects they need most, in the way that best meets their learning standards. For additional content areas, such as investment education, a deeper dive into the world of credit, mental health’s correlation to finances, and more, we offer separate courses to meet these learning needs. And as always, all of our courses and resources are 100% free for school districts and teachers, thanks to the partnership of our sponsors that help schools meet standards.
By sponsoring scalable online financial education courses and using this Financial Literacy Checklist or watching this on-demand webinar, How to Build Financial Literacy with Gen Z, your organization can play a pivotal role in enhancing financial literacy and equip schools with all the resources they need to facilitate impactful learning experiences.
Ready to make a difference in your community? To get in touch with EVERFI, click here. Together, we can promote financial inclusion and empower our communities.