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Economic Education Program Shows Positive Results in Local
Schools

Posted: November 17, 2010

Center for Economics Education

Central
Bank

economics

Madison County Schools. Harter

An economic education program established to help Madison County
schoolchildren learn how to make wise financial decisions has proven successful
in its inaugural year.

Eastern Kentucky University’s Center for Economics Education, Central Bank,
the Kentucky Council on Economic Education and Madison County Schools partnered
to implement “Economics: Math in Real life” in grades K-5 throughout the local
school district. The initiative included economics and finance curriculum
training for K-5 teachers throughout the local school district, and lessons then
were integrated into mathematics and social studies content areas so students
could learn real-life applications of the subjects.

A comparison of test scores before and after implementation shows that both
teachers and students benefited from the curriculum.  According to Dr.
Cynthia Harter, director of EKU’s Center for Economic Education, students in
grades 2-5 performed better on economics post-tests after teachers taught the
relevant lessons than they had on economics pre-tests. Also, students in grades
3-5 performed better on math post-tests after the lessons than they had on math
pre-tests.  Teachers also improved their own test scores after the
training.

“So, teachers learned economics, and students learned both economics and
math,” Harter concluded. “We were able to provide teachers not only with
training but also with a superb set of curriculum and materials not only to use
in teaching the lessons we presented but to keep in the classroom and use for
other lessons and activities in the future. This is the most effective teacher
program we have implemented in terms of training, test scores, community
involvement, and resources provided to the teachers.”

Technology applications added to the curricula will help teachers extend
coverage and technology integration. “Several teachers tied these lessons into
business ventures and community projects that involved students in actual
applications of the content to their own lives, including a food drive, a visit
to a pet store, candy grams, and many others,” noted Madison County Schools
Superintendent Tommy Floyd.

Jeff Fultz, president of the Madison County Market of Central Bank, said the
program has “met and exceeded our high expectations. Central Bank is very proud
to be a part of this very successful and unique partnership, and we look forward
to exploring additional ways we can further increase our students’ learning
opportunities in the areas of math and economics. The world of personal finance
continues to become more complex, and it’s great to see that the Madison County
Schools are stepping up to ensure that our students will be prepared to make
good personal finance decisions when they become adults.”

Kathie Hickey, president and chief executive officer of the Kentucky Council
on Economic Education, called “Economics: Math in Real Life” a “model for the
state and nation to follow. The results speak for themselves.”

The mission of EKU’s Center for Economic Education is to improve the economic
literacy of Kentucky citizens by providing education, training, and materials
for teachers in grades K-12, with particular emphasis on the EKU service region.
Consultants are available for any type of economics instruction that may be
needed; however, the Center is primarily involved in professional development
workshops and graduate instruction for in-service teachers, undergraduate
instruction for pre-service teachers, and research in economic education.

Contact Information
Dr. Cynthia Harter
[email-masked]
859-622-1390

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