RALEIGH – Nearly 40 high school teachers representing various school districts across the state gathered on the Campbell University Raleigh Campus for a week-long program June 26-30 with Campbell’s Lundy-Fetterman School of Business to learn innovative ways to teach financial literacy and economic education to their students.
“Campbell Business, and our Center for Financial Literacy director, Dr. Shahriar Mostashari, are pleased to be associated with such an important and impactful program benefiting North Carolina teachers and, ultimately, their students,” said Campbell Business Dean Kevin O’Mara. “Everyone benefits from better understanding financial literacy. We especially want to recognize the teachers for willingly participating in this program over their summer months.”
The Economic & Personal Finance Institute arose from a partnership between Campbell’s Business School’s Center for Financial Literacy & Economic Education (CFLEE) and the North Carolina Council on Economic Education. It aims to help teachers meet recent state mandates requiring students to receive a passing grade in this area to graduate.
The five-day workshop aims to give teachers a refresher course and new information on government and economic systems, cost and benefits of trade, building wealth and training students for high-demand jobs in finance. At the end of the week, teachers earn a professional development certificate and receive access to lesson plans and digital resources to take back to their respective schools.
Stacy Arch, who has been teaching for 22 years, works at North Wake College and Career Academy (NWCCA), a Cooperative Innovative High School in Wake Forest. She teaches AP government and politics, economics and personal finance and speech. It was the first time she had attended the workshop. “It’s a good economics refresher,” she said. “I would recommend it to other teachers because you receive a bunch of resources, and you get the chance to talk to other teachers at other schools.”
Ethan Anderson is starting his second year at Knightdale High School, where he teaches AP U.S. History and economics and personal finance. “The budgeting aspect for my students is going to be amazing,” he said of the training. “The tools and resources they have provided us are very helpful.”
Liz St. Lawrence, one of the EPF Master Teachers for the N.C. Council on Economic Education, said, “Campbell Law has been a very gracious host and everyone, from security, staff, the cleaning crew, has been so accommodating.”
North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt thanked teachers in a welcome video for taking time out of their summer breaks to learn more about economics and personal finance.
“After all, most of us probably were never taught this information when we were in high school,” she explained. “Learning something as simple as how to balance a checkbook wasn’t part of the curriculum. Nor were the potential hazards that come with credit cards, student debt, car loans and other forms of debt let alone the benefits of learning to save … The Class of 2024 will be the first to have this course (Economic and Personal Finance) as a graduation requirement for high school.”
Other states that have taken a similar step have seen improvement on at least one key indicator: their average credit scores have risen in the years after implementation, Truitt added.
Dr. Mostashari leads the CFLEE, which was launched in 2017 as part of a national network of centers for economic education affiliated with the national Council for Economic Education.
“I just want to thank everyone at the law school and NCCEE for helping us with this event and Superintendent Truitt for taking the time to record a statement for our attendees since she could not make it to the training in person,” Mostashari said.
Another teacher wrote in their assessment of the training, “This was a very helpful week for me. I have never taught economics or personal finance, so I am leaving this week with confidence and good direction on how to go about teaching the EPF course. The instructors, facilities and treatment of the teachers was exceptional and much appreciated. I would recommend taking this professional development to any of my colleagues.”
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR FINANCIAL LITERACY & ECONOMIC EDUCATION (CFLEE)
The mission of the Center for Financial Literacy and Economic Education, which is part of a national network of centers for economic education affiliated with the Council for Economic Education, is to promote financial literacy and economic education in greater Harnett County and surrounding regions. Housed at Campbell Business, the Center works with Campbell’s School of Education & Human Sciences and the College of Arts & Sciences to deliver programs to the K-12 educators and their students while also engaging in community outreach programs for the public. The Center also serves as a one-stop information hub for free and unbiased educational resources to assist Campbell stakeholders including faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners in making knowledgeable choices that will improve the economic well-being of themselves, their families and their communities.