Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Discovery Education and Social Impact Partners Present Students, Educators, and Families No-Cost Financial Literacy Resources for College Savings Month

Charlotte, NC — To support students on their journey to higher learning during September’s College Savings Month and beyond, Discovery Education and its social impact partners are offering students, educators, and families an array of no-cost digital resources focused on financial literacy. This selection of dynamic content inspires students to think critically about their college plans and financial goals. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art K-12 digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.  

The following no-cost digital resources were created in collaboration with Discovery Education’s social impact partners: 

  • Personal Finance Support: Educators discover how to make personal finances culturally relevant and interesting in the professional development series from Pathway to Financial Success, a program developed with Discover Financial Services. Through these real-world educator stories, teachers see firsthand the benefits financial education can have on students. The professional development series and other resources offer step-by-step navigation to help guide students to reach financial and personal goals. 
  • Entrepreneurship Inspiration: Make financial literacy engaging and fun with Discover Venture Valley, a program with the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship. Discover Venture Valley empowers students in grades 6-12 to build financial and business basics through gamified learning and taking on the role of a budding entrepreneur in the new Venture Valley video game. 
  • College Planning Resources: Family discussions about college planning are made easy with discussion guides from TGR EDU: Explore, a program with TGR Foundation, A Tiger Woods Charity. From finding the right college fit to navigating financial aid, the resources will help students understand the various types of financial aid, navigate the application process and prioritize responsibilities for college admissions. 

“While college may not be right for all students, it’s an important step to think about and financially prepare for. During College Savings Month, and always, Discovery Education and its social impact partners are committed to making available helpful, easy to understand, and engaging no-cost content designed to support student discussions around higher education,” said Beth Meyer, Vice President of Social Impact at Discovery Education.  …Read More

Toilet Paper Hands: Empowering Students With Skills-Based Economic Education to Accelerate Financial Literacy

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Creators of Toilet Paper Hands Online Educational Program are responding to exploding demand for online education with innovative edutech: changing the game in economic education so students can keep up with the acceleration of web3 in a post-pandemic economy, redefining what it is to be financially independent.

CULTIVATING 21st-CENTURY SKILLS

TPH is the only pre-packaged economics curriculum currently available for students and educators that includes content on decentralized finance. Through human-centered storytelling and gamified learning, TPH creators deliver lessons in financial literacy, blockchain technology and investing concepts to bridge the gap between current economic education and the opportunities of web3.…Read More

Discovery Education Offers New Resources for Financial Literacy Month

Silver Spring, MD (Monday, April 3, 2022) — Discovery Education—the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place—is offering educators, students, and families a host of dynamic digital resources focused on financial literacy for Financial Literacy Month and beyond.  

Taking place annually in April, Financial Literacy Month was founded by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) and is produced by the Jump$tart Coalition. To support financial literacy wherever learning takes place, Discovery Education presents a curated collection of resources focused on financial literacy created in collaboration with leading social impact partners: 

Classroom Activity
Help students connect economics concepts to current events and everyday life with timely activities, videos, interactive modules and more. From price discovery to supply chain dynamics, resources from Econ Essentials, an educational initiative with Futures Fundamentals, examine real-world applications of complex market topics. Students will explore how changes in supply and demand curves impact prices, while a new hot topic activity looks at the ways businesses react to and mitigate the risks of such price fluctuations caused by supply chain disruptions. …Read More

Financial Literacy Challenge from Jackson Charitable Foundation and Discovery Education Empowering Communities to Win $10,000 for Their Schools Now Open

Silver Spring, Md. (Monday, March 14, 2022) – Jackson Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit with the mission to advance financial knowledge on a national scale, and Discovery Education today opened the 6th annual Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids Contest. The contest enables communities to vote for their school to win $10,000 that can be used for critical educator resources that teach kids how to earn, save, spend, and donate.   

This national contest encourages elementary school teachers, families, and community members to show their commitment to financial education by voting online daily for their school to receive a prize package featuring: 

  • A grant of $10,000 to build a brighter financial future at the winning school.  
  • $1,000 to be donated to the charity of the school’s choice. 
  • An interactive, hands-on, educational financial literacy event hosted by Discovery Education that brings to life Cha-Ching’s four pillars of financial education – earn, save, spend, and donate. 

Participants may enter up to once a day on behalf of their school from now through June 17, 2022. Learn more and vote for your school.  …Read More

3 financial literacy tips students can use now

While moving into adulthood, teens are faced with a number of paths. Empowering students to select which path works best for them and determine how to best financially plan for the future are key to ensuring that some of their first adult decisions set them on a trajectory toward success.

While research shows a positive connection between higher education and economic status, it’s important to recognize that the traditional route to higher education does not work for every student. However, it is critical that every student have access to information that will help them plan for whatever path they choose.

Opting for traditional higher education can prove challenging for many due to the rising costs. Since the 1970s, college costs in the U.S. have tripled. Today, private school costs an average of $30,000+ per year while public college costs $22,000+ per year, according to U.S. News & World Report.…Read More

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Discovery Education and Venture Valley Partner to Launch New Educational Initiative Teaching Financial Literacy Through Games and Resources

Silver Spring, MD. (Monday, March 7, 2022) – Venture Valley video game team and Discovery Education announced today a new educational initiative – Discover Venture Valley – helping students build financial literacy and business skills. Discover Venture Valley empowers students in grades 6-12 to build financial and business basics through a suite of standards-aligned resources and by taking on the role of a budding entrepreneur in the new Venture Valley video game. Discover Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. The Venture Valley game is a project of the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship. 

Discover Venture Valley helps students discover and develop their entrepreneurial spirit by exploring the financial and business basics explored in the Venture Valley game. Accompanying digital resources – including classroom activities, a video topic series, and educator guides – align to learning standards across multiple disciplines including English language arts, math, business, and financial literacy. 

“We believe that financial competence empowers individuals to do great things for themselves, their communities and the world. We are excited to launch this partnership with Discovery Education, as they share our commitment to enriching and empowering students with an interactive and exciting digital game,” said Roger Hector, Executive Producer for the Venture Valley game. “Discover Venture Valley builds and sustains student interest in financial literacy through entrepreneurship and play, and is the perfect complement to Venture Valley, which lets those interested in becoming entrepreneurs learn basic business concepts and skills by applying them in a game.” …Read More

3 financial literacy tips for students

While moving into adulthood, teens are faced with a number of paths. Empowering students to select which path works best for them and determine how to best financially plan for the future are key to ensuring that some of their first adult decisions set them on a trajectory toward success.

While research shows a positive connection between higher education and economic status, it’s important to recognize that the traditional route to higher education does not work for every student. However, it is critical that every student have access to information that will help them plan for whatever path they choose.

Opting for traditional higher education can prove challenging for many due to the rising costs. Since the 1970s, college costs in the U.S. have tripled. Today, private school costs an average of $30,000+ per year while public college costs $22,000+ per year, according to U.S. News & World Report.…Read More

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Teachers Offer Tips To Make Summer Learning More Inspiring, Creative and Challenging, Using Osmo for Schools’ STEAM Technology

Exploring Nature, Creating Stories, Learning Financial Literacy, Are Among Ideas Suggested

Palo Alto- From exploring nature to story creation to financial literacy, teachers from around the U.S. offer tips to colleagues on how to make summer learning more inspiring, creative and challenging for students, using Osmo for Schools’ STEAM technology.

Brittany Thomas, 5th grade teacher at Glen Burnie Park Elementary in Glen Burnie, Maryland, says: …Read More

Every single middle school student can benefit from financial literacy education according to new study

University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute study holds promise that financial literacy education can help students nationwide build important financial foundations

Newly released findings from a two-year study of the efficacy of financial literacy on middle school students affirm significant knowledge gain in the subject matter, and advocates more such learning be provided to students in this age group. Conducted by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute (UMDI), the largest study of financial education efficacy on middle school students focused on FutureSmart, a digital financial literacy course for grades 6-8, developed by the social impact education innovator, EVERFI, and available nationwide at no cost through a grant from the MassMutual Foundation.

The complete study and its findings were published today in the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning. Through a comparison of pre- and post-course assessment data, researchers found significant and consistent gains in financial knowledge for all students regardless of personal or school characteristics and regardless of how the program is implemented with students. In particular, the study focused on the impact of the curriculum on four key student outcomes: financial knowledge, feelings of confidence with the subject, communication with parents on fiscal topics, and current and future engagement with financial systems. …Read More

3 steps to implementing a 21st-century financial education curriculum

Effective and accessible financial education has historically been absent in U.S. schools. Outdated instructional practices and a lack of standards have made it difficult for teachers to easily incorporate this crucial topic in the classroom.

According to a 2016 study by LendEDU, more than half of 18- to 24-year-olds wish they’d taken a personal finance course in high school. Unfortunately, not every state has a requirement that students take some form of a financial education course prior to graduating.

As the business education teacher at Niles North High School (NNHS) in Illinois, I’m passionate about ensuring that every child has access to an equitable and effective financial education curriculum. NNHS is one of the most diverse high schools in Illinois, with students who come from almost every corner of the globe and speak more than 70 different languages. I feel lucky that my state requires every student to complete a consumer education course, and I know the importance of providing a course that is up-to-date and applicable to the real world.…Read More

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