Kentucky high school teachers have the opportunity to earn 35 professional development hours this summer as part of the Kentucky Master Teacher of Personal Finance Program (KMTPF) at no cost.
When House Bill 132 passed in 2018 mandating high school students to take a financial literacy course prior to graduation, many university faculty and staff across the state jumped into action to make resources available to these high school teachers.
Established through a collaborative initiative between the Coalition for Financial Literacy in the Commonwealth (CFLC) and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the CFLC comprises representatives from Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University and the University of Kentucky.
“Financial literacy is a critical component of a student's success both while in college and after graduation,” said EKU President David McFaddin. “Through this collaboration, we can support this effort to ensure all Kentucky students become financially literate and prepared to positively impact the economic growth of their communities. Thank you to our own Dr. Cynthia Harter for seeing this issue on the horizon and working to allow EKU to be a part of the solution.”
The first class for which this is a graduation requirement are finishing their sophomore year of high school, putting the mandate in full force in the next two years. With the mandate being unfunded, teachers and schools are seeking training and materials that are aligned to the Kentucky standards and available at low or no cost.
“The results are important for the Appalachian business community because they highlight the need for more resources devoted to preparing teachers to teach financial concepts in order to spur economic development in the region,” said Harter, director of EKU’s Center for Economic Education. “Through the multiplier effect of teaching teachers, those who invest more resources in financial literacy efforts and entrepreneurship education in schools can promote economic development for generations to come.”
The KMTPF program is aligned to the Kentucky Financial Literacy Standards and uses research-based strategies, high-caliber resources and strategic partnerships to engage educators with a variety of high-quality lessons and materials that can be taken directly to the classroom.
“The program has been designed through the collaboration of experienced experts in the field so that we can prepare teachers with the knowledge and tools needed to meet the graduation requirement in this important content area,” said Harter. “The financial literacy standards combined with this program provide a framework through which our students can learn to make more informed choices in life.
Professors and economic education specialists who will deliver the program have decades of experience training K-12 teachers in economic and personal finance education, Harter said. Investing these resources and this expertise in teachers throughout the region will only benefit students and spur economic growth within the region.
Teachers who complete the program will earn 35 professional development hours, earn the designation of “Kentucky Master Teacher of Personal Finance,” be recognized at a virtual closing ceremony and be listed on the EKU Center for Economic Education’s KMTPF program website. Teachers will be able to list this marketable attribute on a curriculum vitae, engage in opportunities to strengthen presentation skills and become a participant in a network and professional learning community of Master Teachers. To be considered for the program, a teacher must hold a current Kentucky teaching license
Visit https://events.stlouisfed.org/event/4d21a1fd-00ac-42bc-9d4e-dc206c4e4f5b/regProcessStep1 to register for the 2022 program. Deadline to register is June 6.
For further information about the Coalition for Financial Literacy in the Commonwealth, contact any of the partners: Cynthia.Harter@eku.edu, j.ratliff@moreheadstate.edu, or mary.vimont@uky.edu. For further information about the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, contact mary.c.suiter@stls.frb.org.