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WI High School Students to Get 'brass' Facts on Financial Literacy
By Alton Gary Simpson
MILWAUKEE--More than 35,000 Wisconsin high school juniors and seniors at 568 of the state's public high schools will get a jump on learning the money skills the state says they should have before graduation. According to Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster, this was due to the donation of the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM by Wisconsin credit unions. The program promotes responsible personal financial management through brass Magazine, a lifestyle money magazine that is produced by young adults for young adults by brass|MEDIA Inc. Wisconsin is the first state in the nation to develop content and performance standards for personal finance at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
"Preparing young people to understand and participate in their own financial well-being is a vital personal skill," said Ms. Burmaster to attendees at the Wisconsin Credit Union League's 73rd annual convention. "The economic stability of our communities and the growth of our state's economy will be influenced by the personal financial literacy skills our students gain in school."
Ms. Burmaster announced the partnership between credit unions and public schools at the convention in Milwaukee, noting that the effort will put Wisconsin students a step ahead of those in other states when it comes to learning the financial basics they need to complete their educations and start their adult lives. The program will be provided free to schools starting in the 2007-2008 academic year.
"Thanks to credit unions, Wisconsin schools have yet another free resource they can use in almost any setting to help students achieve our state's financial literacy standards," said WCUL president and CEO Brett Thompson. The program is being funded by Wisconsin credit unions through the WCUL. He noted that the program's moniker "brass" implied boldness as well as achievement--using financial savvy to be among the "top brass" in society. Mr. Thompson said the program recognizes young people are in a position--unlike prior generations--to make or break their financial futures and don't want to be talked down to. The program has credibility with the intended audience--students--because it is written for young adults by young adults. "Teachers who have used the program have said they've struggled to find something about money that their students would find interesting," Mr. Thompson noted. "When it comes to brass, students devour it."
As part of the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM, Wisconsin public high schools will receive classroom sets of the brass Magazine Student Edition, a quarterly publication that focuses on the money side of life, making money relevant to students. The publication can be used on its own or in conjunction with personal finance curricula. Besides benefiting from the magazine, Wisconsin's high school juniors and seniors will be able to use the brass|STUDENT RESOURCE CENTER Web site, where students can search the magazine's content and a database of scholarships offered by credit unions. Teachers can also access the online brass|TEACHER RESOURCE CENTER for shared lesson plans and questioning strategies that can be used to engage students in discussion. Each lesson plan identifies what state standards--such as calculating the cost of borrowing--are being met as students complete classroom activities.
"Whether a school teaches financial concepts as part of a business, economics, social studies, math or other course--and regardless of what curriculum they use--brass Magazine makes those ideas real for students," Ms. Burmaster stated. "The magazine helps students see in real life the application of the concepts they're learning." She added that Wisconsin has been at the vanguard of states on the issue of personal financial literacy. Not only was Wisconsin the first state to develop content and performance standards for personal finance at the elementary, middle and high school levels, but the state has also reached out to partners like credit unions and brass|MEDIA Inc. to help educators and students meet those standards.
"The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM is a great complement to the tremendous efforts being made in Wisconsin toward financial education," said Bryan Sims, founder and CEO of brass|MEDIA Inc. "The program's ability to inform students about money in ways that relate to them creates an amazing opportunity. I can't think of better partners in this objective than the Wisconsin Credit Union League and credit unions across the state to help schools reach their goals for financial learning."
Credit unions have been long-time partners with Wisconsin schools, supervising more than 60 student-run, in-school credit union branches around the state that teach the value of saving and strive to instill responsible financial habits among youth. Credit unions have also played a role in offering free to schools the High School Financial Planning Program--a seven unit curriculum covering personal finance basics, developed by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE). More than 200 Wisconsin schools use it.
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