Financial Literacy Academy at Champlain College Offering Nationally Recognized Course Free to Massachusetts Educators
Contact, John Pelletier, director, Center for Financial Literacy, Champlain College, jpelletier@champlain.edu, 802-253-5623
Middle and high school educators in Massachusetts interested in honing their personal finance teaching skills, or newcomers to the field, can attend a free, online, asynchronous course offered by the Financial Literacy Academy at the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College.
This graduate-level course, which has been recognized by the White House, will give Massachusetts educators who complete it the skills and curricular tools to bring personal finance into their classrooms, says John Pelletier, director of the Champlain center.
“In Massachusetts, students are not required to take personal finance instruction in public schools,” Pelletier says. “A decision to require this type of instruction is made at the local school district level. In 2019, a new law required the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to assist schools in the selection of materials and curriculum on personal financial literacy, and resources for professional development activities. The Department has since issued curriculum frameworks for personal finance instruction.
In addition, Next Gen Personal Finance research indicates that in Massachusetts, five per cent of high schools require a standalone personal finance course as a graduation requirement and an additional 68 per cent offer a standalone personal finance course elective.
There is a clear need for more qualified personal finance experts in Massachusetts.”
The first 20 educators accepted for each of two sessions, will receive a full scholarship. The first session runs asynchronously from January 17 through March 11, and the second session runs from March 14 through May 6. Application deadlines are Dec. 10 for the first session and Feb. 11 for the second.
This course, which awards participants three graduate-level credits, is a continuation of the Champlain Financial Literacy Academy’s nationally recognized educator training program conducted in-person from 2011-2019 for nearly 300 educators. A generous grant from anonymous donors and Next Gen Personal Finance has allowed the center to offer this program again.
Pelletier notes that the course was recognized not only by the White House, but also the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the FDIC, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and by President Obama’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.
He notes also that the graduate course has been the subject of two studies showing the impact of the instruction (see most recent study Prepped for Success).
Half of the 40 scholarships will go to teachers in Vermont, and the rest to educators in New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Educators can register here.
Champlain College, founded in 1878, is a small, not-for-profit, private college in Burlington, Vermont, with additional campuses in Montreal, Canada, and Dublin, Ireland.
Champlain offers a traditional undergraduate experience and more than 60 online undergraduate and graduate degree programs. certificates, and stackable credentials in high-demand fields.
Champlain’s distinctive, career-driven approach to higher education embodies the notion that true learning occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge.
Learn more >> http://www.champlain.edu
Champlain College Center for Financial Literacy is committed to improving the personal finance knowledge of our nation’s students and adults, so more Americans make sound decisions about spending, credit, debt, investments, and complex financial situations such as buying a home and saving for retirement.
Center director John Pelletier was formerly chief operating officer and chief legal officer at some of the largest asset management firms in the U.S. and he has served in both national and state leadership positions related to personal finance education.
Next Gen Personal Finance is a non-profit organization serving more than 50,000 teachers with engaging and relevant classroom resources, best in class professional development and the advocacy tools to increase access to financial education. With Mission: 2030, NGPF is partnering with a community of passionate educators to ensure that, by 2030, every student crosses the high school graduation stage having the financial skills to thrive.