High School Financial Planning Program Revised for 2007

High School Financial Planning Program Revised for 2007

Months of planning, dozens of committee meetings, hours of design, writing and re-writing, and several field tests have produced the all-new NEFE High School Financial Planning Program® (HSFPP). Teachers are being trained and teens across the country will begin using the new edition in the fall.

“The revision reflects an enormous effort by many individuals who contributed their time and expertise to this project,” said HSFPP director John Parfrey. “Our goal was to build on the solid foundation of a program that has been used successfully for 22 years, while adding new elements to the HSFPP that would relate to today’s teens, enhance the use of technology, and assist both teachers and parents in their financial literacy efforts. I believe we have reached these goals with the revised NEFE High School Program.”

The updated curriculum now is linked to education standards in 50 states, and to several national subject-area standards. While remaining a paper and pencil curriculum—which is still in demand by most teachers—it has a new, edgy look that teens respond to. In addition, the revised HSFPP is supported by a dynamic Web site that offers a large, continually changing collection of materials for teachers; online calculators, games, polls, and real-life learning exercises for students; and ideas for extending learning beyond the classroom, including a special section for parents.

The HSFPP curriculum was shaped by educators and subject matter experts working with NEFE, while the actual learning approach was created by an instructional design firm using a competency-based model. Lessons also reflect the principles of multiple-intelligence learning, encourage a cycle of learning activities involving parents and outside professionals supporting the classroom experience, and challenge students to expand their thoughts about the issues and apply these newly acquired skills to sound money management in their own lives.

Free teacher training is available in-person and online, along with step-by-step teaching plans. Additionally, the effectiveness of the revised program will be evaluated by university researchers, school districts, and teachers.

Parfrey credited much of the project’s success to the HSFPP Revision Task Force, which assisted NEFE by reviewing the current edition, making recommendations for improvements, assessing new materials, and helping to plan the national launch of the program. The 14-member task force was composed of representatives from NEFE and its two HSFPP partners—the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and the Cooperative State, Research, Education, and Extension Services, (CSREES), USDA, and participating Land-Grant University Cooperative Extension Services—as well as individuals from state government, the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC), and the Workforce Investment Boards. In addition, a technology expert from the InCharge Institute and an educational consultant from Worldwide Instructional Design System (WIDS) participated in task force meetings.

Independent studies in 1998 and 2003 have shown conclusively that the HSFPP produces statistically significant improvement in financial knowledge, confidence, and behavior among teens who have completed the program. The HSFPP is a noncommercial, fully-developed program that can be taken immediately into schools free of charge. Since its introduction in 1984, the program has reached more than 4.6 million students in youth organizations and schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

For more information about the NEFE HSFPP, log on to hsfpp.nefe.org

For more information about Ohio’s activities, contact Nancy Hudson at hudson.2@osu.edu