NON-PROFIT
NON-PROFIT
NJCEE Equips Educators to Improve Financial Literacy
By : Jamie Grill-Goodman
Managing money is perhaps one of the most important life skills students will need as they enter adulthood . Despite this , New Jersey schools face challenges in consistently incorporating personal finance , economics , and business principles into their curricula to help students achieve financial literacy .
The New Jersey Council for Economic Education ( NJCEE ) endeavors to change that by addressing gaps in student engagement , teacher preparation , and access to free resources for teaching personal finance , economics , and business .
“ Through teacher training and student competitions , NJCEE aims to equip educators with the tools to help students develop essential financial knowledge and habits ,” Alex Lamon , Director , NJCEE , tells COMMERCE .
“ We are a group of volunteer educators who are passionate about what we teach and want to help students and other teachers in our state ,” he notes . “ A lot of teachers feel like they are in a silo . There are not a lot of personal finance or economics teachers at one school . The NJCEE helps to bridge the gap and make connections .”
One way the NJCEE helps to forge connections is by providing teacher training to hundreds of teachers every year though several in-person workshops . The NJCEE ’ s premier event in the fall , Money Talks , brings together Personal Finance , Economics , and Business teachers .
“ It ’ s the largest event in the state for those teachers ,” says Lamon . “ Our events are run as a ‘ for teachers , by teachers ’ model . No long , boring keynotes . Our focus is giving teachers an organized experience that helps them build connections , enhance their content instruction , and share resources with one another .
“ I organize the event and gather teachers to serve as presenters and facilitators across the state . There ’ s nothing like learning from someone who is ‘ in the trenches ’ and speaks your same language ! Teachers need more of that .”
In addition to teacher training , the NJCEE , an affiliate of the National Council for Economic Education ( CEE ), hosts student competitions to engage students . Students can participate in the NJCEE ’ s spring economics and personal finance challenges by forming teams of 3-4 students and teachers can register teams online – no prior experience is required to participate .
The competitions are free , fully online , and divided into categories based on students ’ experience levels . Each team completes a timed online exam , testing their knowledge of key principles in economics or personal finance . Top teams advance to national-level competitions , which are in person .
When asked how Commerce and Industry Association of NJ ( CIANJ ) members can get involved with NJCEE , Lamon notes that the organization has connections with business education and work-based learning teachers throughout the state .
“ These teachers value connections to industry leaders who have a pulse on the world outside of education ,” says Lamon . “ From being involved at teacher events , to working with teachers inside NJ
Alex Lamon , Director , New Jersey Council for Economic Education
classrooms , the NJCEE can help connect CIANJ members together for valuable experiences for both parties . Financial literacy , economics , and business is made more real when those from the outside come into classrooms to not only share their experience but work with students in our project-based environment programs .”
Photo : NJCEE
Left to right : Elizabeth Ames , President , Bolde Communications ; Brian Dean , Career and Tech Education Outreach Coordinator , izzit . org ; Steve Forbes , Chairman & Editor-in-Chief , Forbes Media ; Joe DiFiglia , Founder , NJCEE . V . P . of izzit . org ; Kevin Morgan , Teacher , Marlboro High School , NJ .
Photo : NJCEE / ydouglast
NJCEE provides several in-person workshops , such as the NJCEE teacher workshop at Stockton University in May 2024 .
Photo : NJCEE / ydouglast
20 COMMERCE www . commercemagazinenj . com