February 23, 2007
HP-275

Treasury, Education Host Summit About
Teaching Students Better Money
Management

Washington, D.C.- The U.S. Treasury Department yesterday wrapped up the national summit to discuss ways to teach America's children about money matters during their busy school days. Officials from the Treasury and Department of Education teamed up to host the two-day summit, which focused on Kindergarten through postsecondary students.

"Research has shown that the earlier kids learn good money habits, the more likely they'll be to continue those habits as they get older," said U.S. Treasuer Anna Escobedo Cabral, yesterday's keynote speaker. "Students in schools across the country have benefited from the integration of financial education into core curricula. We must continue to build on this success and give young people the tools they need to make financially sound choices in the future."

Treasury's panel discussions included state legislators, academics, non-profit and private sector financial education practitioners. Participants throughout the day examined state legislative models for implementing financial education programs into schools and effective methods to train teachers and to evaluate financial literacy programs. Challenges included learning how to integrate financial education into the school day and identifying effective materials and curricula.

But recognizing that financial education is not offered just in schools, panelists also looked at non-traditional venues that complement classroom activities, such as after school youth programs, and ways to bridge the traditional education and financial education communities.

Discussions followed up on Tuesday's panel discussions at the Education Department. High school and college students, researchers, program coordinators and teachers from across the country who have participated in financial education programs shared their perspectives on money management

The summit was part of the 20-agency Financial Literacy and Education Commission's national strategy for improving financial education, called Taking Ownership of the Future: The National Strategy for Financial Literacy and available at www.mymoney.gov. The summit's findings will be compiled and made available to educators, policymakers, and the public at large.