The US Department of Education proved it is about more than mandates & testing by reaching out to high school students with a voluntary 2011 financial literacy challenge from March 7 to April 8.
Designed to enhance the financial capability of student understanding in saving, budgeting, and investing-- the Challenge is open to any student (age 13-19) whose educator successfully registers, prepares students, and administers the online exam: Financial Literacy Challenge Registration
From saving for college and retirement to managing expenses like cell phones, the exam tests a wide array of topics that together constitute a basic understanding of personal finance.
This joint Dept. of Education and Treasury Dept. outreach effort is consistent with current NCLB reauthorization efforts whose design is to make competitive grants to states & districts that provide a well-rounded curriculum in financial literacy, as well as environmental education, the arts, world languages, and history & civics.
Later this spring, high-scoring students will be recognized in a national awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The educators and students who place in the top 20 percent nationwide will receive official award certificates.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan offers remarks about the Challenge in this video:
