Econcepts | A blog by the Economic Education Group at the SF Fed

Invest in What’s Next

Date March 30, 2015

Comments0

There are many possibilities for students’ life after high school and lots of questions to consider along the way. “What path is right for me?” “What do I stand to gain?” “What are my funding options for school?”

We have been developing Invest in What’s Next (IIWN), an interactive, online mini-course with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Through three lessons, students will explore their options, budget for their future, and build a plan that’s right for them.

We are happy to announce that lesson 1 has been launched and is ready for you to assign to your students! After completing lesson 1, students will be able to:

determine what jobs best fit their personal interests and the education required for those jobs
estimate what they want their future lifestyle to be and the income they may need to earn to support that lifestyle
identify the benefits of education after high school
assess the degree levels and school options for education after high school
research education options that meet their goals
analyze charts and data in a variety of formats

Our Education Advisory Group 2015

Date March 12, 2015

Posted by Lorraine Thayer

Comments0

We’re delighted to have brought our Education Advisory Group for 2015 on board! Twenty-two teachers from diverse personal and professional backgrounds will be with us through November, and their work will include providing feedback on content ideas, teaching activities, SF Fed economic education resources, the use of technology, and best practices related to teaching about the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy.

17 of our 22 EAG 2015 members

The group includes five community college and seventeen high school educators from both public and private schools with 1 to 24 years of experience teaching economics (of course!), government, business, marketing, and mathematics. There is representation from nearly all states in the 12th District.

Early last month, the EAG kicked off their work by attending a professional development conference at our Head Office in San Francisco. The conference agenda included an in-depth discussion on the purposes and functions of the Fed, an economic outlook from Senior Outreach Economist Liz Laderman, and a tour of cash operations, the Fed Center, and our American Currency Exhibit.

The group also dove into economic education content with a feedback and brainstorming session around our soon-to-be-launched Chair the Fed game on monetary policy (currently known as The Fed Chairman Game).

All that serious learning and hard work was capped off with a lively networking reception so that everyone could get to know their fellow EAG members and the SF Fed Econ Ed staff!

Transitions

Date November 17, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

Comments0

This time of year, it’s hard to believe that another twelve months have passed and that we’re on the cusp of semester end and the holidays. We’ve had a very busy and rewarding 2014!

On the theme of transition, a message of a more personal nature: I’ll be leaving the SF Fed at the end of this month. I’ve accepted a position at the Reserve Bank of Australia, and will be catching a flight to Sydney after Thanksgiving!

It’s been an incredible six and a half years in the Federal Reserve System. I’ve been grateful to have worked with exceptional educators like you, and have been consistently inspired by your enthusiasm for economics and personal finance education.

The blog will be helmed by my Econ Ed colleagues going forward. If things look a little different in the months ahead, it’s due to the transition! The blog will be taking a short hiatus in December, but will be back with exciting new content in January 2015.

Best wishes, and thank you for the opportunity to have worked with you!
– Rema

Apply now for the 2015 Education Advisory Group!

Date November 10, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

Comments0

Now accepting applications for the 2015 Education Advisory Group (EAG)!

We invite you to apply for a position by submitting the information listed below by December 8, 2014. Selected members will attend a 2-day conference in San Francisco and work with SF Fed Econ Ed staff through December of 2015 on content ideas, teaching activities, the use of technology, and best practices related to teaching about the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy.

Teacher Spotlight: Jennifer Antrim

Date November 6, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

Comments0

Our Spotlight series continues this week, where we talk with teachers who are making a difference in the field of economic education.

In today’s installment, we’re talking with Jennifer Antrim, who teaches with the Scottsdale Unified School District’s eLearning Department in Arizona. She teaches American/Arizona government, economics, and American/Arizona history, including AP courses.

Here is what she had to say:

College and Career Readiness Theme for Financial Education Day

Date October 30, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

Comments0

Karen Schwartz-Decker from our communications group contributed to this post.

Last week, almost 100 students and their teachers from five Bay Area high schools and one adult school convened at the San Francisco Fed to learn about the importance of personal finance skills in planning for college and careers. This was the second annual Federal Reserve Financial Education Day, which was established as a day of workshops at Feds around the System to provide tools for making wise choices when investing in education and planning for the future. The SF Fed Economic Education Group hosted the event.

In a series of morning breakout sessions, the students participated in a hands-on personal finance workshop facilitated by Lorraine Thayer and learned about the purposes and functions of the Fed from Steven Fisher. They also attended a session to learn about ways of financing college though scholarships. The presentation was delivered by Rema Oxandaboure, but was developed by Joel Bervell, a Yale undergraduate from Seattle who collected over $200,000 in scholarships before graduating from high school.

Janet Yellen Speaks Out on Inequality and Opportunity in America

Date October 24, 2014

Posted by Jody Hoff

Comments0

Last week, the Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen spoke about inequality and opportunity in America. Her remarks were based on recent results from the Federal Reserve’s triennial Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). The survey includes roughly 6,000 U.S. households and provides specific details about their income, wealth, and debt. This look at family balance sheets formed the basis for Chair Yellen’s remarks on inequality and economic opportunity in the U.S.

You can watch the video, read the full speech, and view the slides at the bottom of this page.

I wanted to highlight for you the four building blocks of economic opportunity that were identified by Chair Yellen in her speech, along with some supporting charts from the survey. In future posts, we’ll dive more deeply into the topic of inequality.

Four Building Blocks of Economic Opportunity in America

#1. Resources Available for Children

Figure 9 above shows that access to quality early childhood education has improved since the 1990s, but it remains limited–41% of children were enrolled in state or federally supported programs in 2013.

Teacher Spotlight: Amy Evers

Date October 15, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

Comments0

Our Spotlight series continues this week, where we talk with teachers who are making a difference in the field of economic education.

In today’s installment, we’re talking with Amy Evers, who teaches AP U.S. government, AP economics (macro and micro), US government honors, and “We are the People” at Clark High School in Las Vegas, NV.

Here is what she had to say:

How long have you been teaching economics? What do you love most about it?

This is my sixth year teaching economics. Initially when I was told I would teach the class I not excited at all! I struggled with economics in college and was concerned that I would only confuse students since I was quite confused as well. However, I saw it as a challenge that I had to overcome.

I spent the summer teaching myself economics and went to an AP Economics Summer Institute for additional help. The first year was difficult at times but I had a very understanding group of students and things gradually got easier.

Tune in this weekend: “10 Things You Don’t Know About Money” on H2

Date October 8, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

Comments0

Earlier this year, punk rocker turned History Channel program host Henry Rollins visited the Los Angeles Branch of the San Francisco Fed to film an episode for his 10 Things You Don’t Know About series.

Rollins and the show’s producers wanted to focus on a relatively obscure era in our nation’s currency history – when currency circulating in Hawaii was replaced with specially marked notes in anticipation of a potential invasion by Japan during World War II. Fed Historian Gary Richardson was interviewed about these “Hawaii notes.”

Rollins also interviewed Cash Director Rita Aguilar about the Fed’s cash operations and the use of the shredded currency to generate electricity.

Watch the episode when it airs this Saturday, October 11th, at 10:00pm ET / 11:00pm PT on H2.

The program will also be available on History.com, iTunes, and Amazon.

Also, in case you missed it: Five Things You May Not Know About Money

Andrea Abrams contributed to this post. Photo via.

Personal finance blog resources

Date October 2, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

Comments2

Last week, we suggested a few economics blogs as resources. This week, we’re turning our focus to blogs that address topics related to personal finance and financial literacy.

These blogs were all winners of the Plutus Awards at the 5th Annual FinCon Expo, a peer conference for the financial media community.

Best New Personal Finance Blog: Listen, Money Matters!

Andrew Fiebert and Matt Giovanisci hail from New England, and they have self-proclaimed themselves a personal finance nerd and a reformed debt addict, respectively. Together, they explore money issues and share their research and learning with the purpose of helping others along the same path towards financial freedom and early retirement. They also maintain a podcast.

Page 1 of 412 3 4