High School Financial Planning Program Provides Resources Needed to Teach Students Financial Responsibility Adena Whitman, director, member relations, Cooperative Initiatives, LSCU Using teacher feedback and program evaluation findings as its guide, the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) launched major upgrades this year to the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP), its flagship financial education program. The revamped curriculum offers the same practical content it always has, but in a more flexible format split into six modules: spending, borrowing, earning, investing, financial services, and insurance. This, along with an ever-growing collection of content and learning activities on its website (www.hsfpp.org), enables teachers to tailor the program based on their individual needs and student population.
Grounded in the belief that regardless of background or income level, financially informed individuals are better able to take control of their circumstances, improve their quality of life, and ensure a more stable future for themselves and their families, NEFE’s mission is to inspire educated financial decision-making for individuals and families through every stage of life. LSCU has been using this non-profit program to spread quality financial education tools into the credit union community through train-the-trainer events and community workshops. One of the biggest train-the-trainer events was held in November, continuing an ongoing partnership with the Alabama Society of CPAs (ASCPA), which uses its members to sponsor a classroom financial education blitz one day every year. “Without NEFE, we would be reinventing the wheel and at a significant cost, both in resources and money,” said Lacey Williams, communications coordinator for the ASCPA. “NEFE does a great job of explaining money management with real life examples for the students. The updated 2012 version does not overwhelm the students with just another workbook. This program is not only easy to teach, but it’s created by experts, meets all fifty states’ educational standards, is adaptable to our time constraints, and, best of all, it’s free.” 26
A Magazine of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions
SIGNAL: Vol. 3, Issue 4
“This is the third year of our partnership with the League for our classroom blitz,” Williams continued. “We were able to reach more than 70 volunteers with our training webinar, and those volunteers then went out into the schools in Alabama, sharing the NEFE program with more than 3,600 students all in one day. Our goal is to keep this upward trend continuing, reaching out to more schools and students throughout the state every year.” The HSFPP is specifically designed to equip students in grades 8-12 with fundamental personal finance skills to prepare them for financial independence. It can be taught in a variety of settings such as a classroom, after school programs, and workshops. NEFE also offers other courses which cross all of the life cycles, including financial workshop kits that contain scripts, lesson plans, and CashCourse, a customizable, online tool directed at college students. The League can show credit unions how to bring financial education to their membership as well as out into the community. The resources are free – all it takes is the time and staff to learn the programs. The League hosted four workshops in 2012 at individual credit unions and is planning to host at least four in 2013. If you would like to host a train-the-trainer meeting, contact Adena Whitman at adena.whitman@lscu.coop. Seminars can be customized to your individual requirements. ■
NEFE HSFPP Resource Website Visit www.hsfpp.org to find an ever-growing collection of learning tools, articles, and resources to enhance and build on the classroom experience. • HSFPP Homepage. This provides general information about the program and how to be involved with financial literacy initiatives. Use this to introduce the program to anyone who supports teaching teens about personal finance. • Teacher Portal. Teachers who work with teens in schools and other nonprofit organizations must register to access this portal. From here you have access to the instructional materials, content resources, and an interactive teacher forum. • Student Portal. Students (and their parents) who are engaged with the HSFPP can register to access the program materials. The portal gives access to electronic activity files and content resources.