Why Teach Personal Finance in a Math Classroom?
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Finance Literacy conducts financial literacy surveys of high school seniors nationwide. According to the latest survey, conducted in 2004, the average senior answered only 52.3% of the questions correctly and 65.6% of all students failed the exam. Bankruptcies, credit card balances and failure to save for retirement are at all time highs. The average high school graduate is not equipped to manage his or her daily financial affairs. As a mathematics educator, you are probably wondering what this has to do with you. In the past five years, thirty-nine state legislatures, as well as the federal government, have debated this topic and things are changing. Now, many states require that personal finance be taught as part of the regular curriculum for high school students. Making the Connection Lifetime Math is a wonderful opportunity for math teachers to make the connection between the math that is taught in traditional math courses and the real life math
