October’s Economic Education Month Brings National Outreach, Student Video Contests, Teacher Training & More

With the nation’s leaders deeply divided over the federal budget and financial uncertainty facing families across America, high school students from coast to coast during October’s Economic Education Month will push educators and policymakers for access to the economic knowledge they need to evaluate what they see for themselves and for the economic skills they need to thrive now and into their futures.

Econ Ed Month activities, contests and advocacy toolkits from the Council for Economic Education (CEE) and its nationwide affiliated network will help students, teachers and parents encourage legislators, school boards, districts and other stakeholders to provide full access to the economic lessons all young people need to make informed choices throughout their lives.

Only half the states currently mandate economics classes for graduation, according to CEE’s biennial Survey of the States. For many, economic education is available only to those who advance to college and elect to study it there. Econ Ed Month honors the knowledge that economic thinking is a core skill necessary for everyone to understand the world and make better personal, family, and civic decisions. This special month is a focus of CEE’s mission to ensure life-shaping economic information is accessible to all youth including students of color and young people in less advantaged school districts.

“Economics plays a critical role in creating informed citizens, and the lack of progress in ensuring our young people have the opportunity to study economics puts the students and our nation at a disadvantage for years to come,” said Nan J. Morrison, CEE President and CEO. “We’ve developed tools and events for Econ Ed Month in response to requests from students, families and educators who are urgently calling for economics curriculum to be equally available to all.”

Working with CEE state affiliates in Georgia, Nebraska and Oklahoma, CEE launched the first Economic Education Month in 2021. This October features economics-focused classroom resources, professional development for teachers and a nationwide student video contest encouraging young people to think about the connection between economics and their community by answering, “What economic advice would you give to your mayor?” CEE and its affiliates are issuing calls for video contest submissions to teachers across the USA; winners will receive cash prizes.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is also sponsoring a series of Economic Education Month events including programs for teachers, undergraduate researchers, and students interested in exploring the diversity of careers in economics.

“Whether your passion is protecting the environment, reducing food insecurity, making college affordable or even managing the federal debt,” Morrison added, “seeing your challenge through an economic lens will help you understand the issue and identify potential solutions.”

EconEdMonth.org, CEE’s central resource for the public to learn more about Economic Education Month activities also offers direct access to classroom resources and student learning activities designed to make learning economics easy and fun.

More about the call to strengthen economic knowledge for every child in America is available at EconEdMonth.org; join the conversation at #EconEdMonth.

ABOUT CEE:

The Council for Economic Education’s mission is to equip K-12 students with the tools and knowledge of economics and personal finance so that they can make better decisions for themselves, their families and their communities. We carry out our mission by providing resources and training to K-12 educators and have done so for over 70 years. Nearly two-thirds of the tens of thousands of teachers we reach virtually and in-person are in low to moderate-income schools. All resources and programs are developed by educators and delivered by our 200 affiliates across the country in every state. Through our student-facing programs, including the National Personal Finance Challenge and the National Economics Challenge and Invest in Girls, CEE continues to inform, motivate and inspire young minds across the country. We also advocate for more and better education in personal finance and economics, primarily through CEE’s biennial Survey of the States. Find out more at councilforeconed.org and on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Economics is a mystery if you never learn about it. During October's #EconEdMonth, join high school students, teachers & @CouncilEconEd urging schools, districts & states to teach life-essential $ knowledge to all across America: www.EconEdMonth.org