Students with greater financial literacy can become adults who can handle financial tasks and obligations better. Teaching students how to handle money can even make them more desirable to future employers.  Schools across the country have seen how important it is to provide students with real world skills and are advocating to make financial literacy a required course.

According to an article on DistrictAdministration.com, students "find themselves deciding money matters long before adulthood, progressive districts are introducing financial literacy lessons in elementary and middle grades—with some requiring high school students to complete a personal finance program to graduate."

“We should not wait until senior year to introduce students to financial literacy,” said Susan Sharkey, director of the High School Financial Planning Program, in the article. The High School Financial Planning Program, according to the article, "is a National Endowment for Financial Education [NEFE] program focused on basic personal finance skills."

Sharkey continued, saying that financial literacy “could be integrated into other subjects earlier in their schooling and just be part of the culture."

“If we are to succeed in preparing children to understand and manage their finances, we need to engage in frequent and thoughtful discussion both in the home and at school," Sharkey said.

According to the article, "students of yesteryear first learned household budgeting in a high school home economics class. But Chicago Public Schools is one district that’s getting younger students to think about saving, spending and borrowing money."

"If you can get to financial literacy earlier and in a consistent fashion, you can connect better,” said Martin Moe, social science manager for the Chicago district, in the article. “Students might learn about earning income in third grade and then see it again in greater detail in fifth grade.”

The article said that "Chicago now offers a guide to help K12 teachers integrate financial literacy lessons into their curriculum. The voluntary guide provides lesson plans and explains how educators can partner with banks and financial planners, or have students play a stock market game to practice new skills."

"We want financial literacy to connect naturally with other subjects,” Moe said in the article. “If we’re doing a unit on the Great Depression, we could discuss how saving and investing choices affect society.”

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Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor