Math + relevance = education
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Monday, January 14, 2008
Teaching Utah children how to balance a checkbook is an issue that pops up every few years. Everyone at the Legislature nods their head -- yes, they say, it makes sense that our children should know how to manage money wisely.
But it never survived the closing bell until 2006. Now financial literacy education is part of the public school curriculum. Now a Democrat from Holladay, Rep. Pat Jones, aims to build on that foundation with a bill she's carrying in this year's legislative session. Her measure would, she says, provide a basic understanding for students about how to keep themselves -- not only now, but for the rest of their lives -- out of financial trouble: avoiding bankruptcy, earning for retirement, saving money for life's extras instead of running up credit card balances, things like that.
We think it makes sense, and hope her colleagues give it serious consideration.
That's because the current law doesn't go far enough, to our way of thinking. Whereas it requires one semester of financial literacy, Jones' proposal would be to make her expanded version of the course voluntary, and begin it in the seventh grade instead of high school.
The Jones legislation would require participating students to open their own savings account, and within the context of math and social studies courses learn the right way to manage bank accounts, credit cards, etc. The complaint some students have about math and other classes is the lack of application in the real world. For the most part, we adults understand such arguments to be inaccurate and beside the point. But it's entirely possible that Jones' plan would demonstrate real-world value to some reluctant students.
Since Utah is a perennial national leader in per capita bankruptcy filings, and with home-loan foreclosures in the news, augmenting the financial literacy of our students would serve a positive social goal. Good luck, Rep. Jones.
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