When high school graduates toss their caps in the air across the state of Ohio this May they’ll celebrate not only the next phase in their lives but also the fact that they have the financial literacy to guide them.
According to Chris Berry, press secretary to State Treasurer Josh Mandel, a state bill passed in 2007 mandated that financial education would become a high school graduation requirement beginning with the graduating class of 2014.
In an effort to assist schools in their pursuit to educate students on financial matters, Mandel launched the Financial Edge initiative: a resource that connects educators and parents with tools they can use to implement the required financial education.
“We’re trying to give school districts a new option to use programming tools and give them to their students,” Berry said. “Financial Edge is basically a group of options that combine different learning styles and technologies.” Options can include printed information, classroom workshops and online learning.
Mandel toured Columbus Downtown High School September 3 to discuss the Financial Edge program and according to the department of the treasurer, observe the program’s resources being utilized in an educational environment.
Educators in Richland County are taking similar steps to meet the state-mandated requirements and have the peace of mind that students are heading into the world with a strategy for success.
“These kids are already thinking about being on their own,” Clear Fork High School Principal Brian Brown said. “A lot of them are very scared about what the next two or three years will bring.”
While Clear Fork has always had some form of financial education electives available for students, because of the new state requirements the school enhanced the financial literacy portion of its required government course. Additionally the high school offers several career-based courses such as personal finance and independent living as well as an agricultural business program. “We’re hitting three different areas and so far the response has been pretty good,” Brown said.
Madison Comprehensive High School offers a similar array of financial options that the district has been developing for years. “All of our students take Social Studies 3 which is part of state-required curriculum,” high school principal Rob Peterson said, “In that course a fourth of the curriculum centers on financial literacy.”
The district also offers a year and a half of accounting, a personal finance course that covers insurance and banking, an advanced economics course and a two-year business management career program.
Even with the strength of electives Peterson emphasized the importance of educating every student through the standard curriculum. “The financial education requirement was passed several years ago and we immediately adapted the Social Studies 3 curriculum so every student gets it,” Peterson said.
Each school district can approach the requirement differently as long as the requirements are met. Ontario High School requires every student to complete its semester-long personal economics course which covers everything from personal checking and savings accounts to managing portfolios and investments.
They make take different routes but collectively educators of the Richland County school districts are continuing to strive for student success and financial literacy.
“We’re trying to give school districts a new option to use programming tools and give them to their students,” Press Secretary to Josh Mandel, Chris Berry said. “Financial Edge is basically a group of options that combine different learning styles and technologies.”
