Jan 11, 2016 | Economic Security, Education, Mentoring, Non-profit, State Initiatives, Vermont
Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy, using national data, has graded all 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) on their efforts to produce financially literate high school graduates. What the grading shows is that we have a long way to go before we are a financially literate nation.
In this 2015 report card, we attempt to measure how well our high schools are providing personal finance education. Although there have been improvements made over the past few years, more can be done. When it comes to report cards, everyone wants an A. But when the Center graded 50 states and D.C. on their financial literacy education, only five states earned an A.
Sadly, 26 states received grades of C, D or F. Less than half were given grades that you would want your children to bring home from school—grades A or B, and 29% had grades of D or F.
Vermont
- Grade: D
- Is a high school course with personal finance concepts required to be taken as a graduation requirement? No, taking a course with personal finance concepts is not a graduation requirement. Local districts may offer a personal finance course either on a stand-alone basis or embedded into another course offering. High school graduation requirements are determined by the local school districts. See: Vermont School Quality and Education Quality Standards Concepts (page 2).
- Education Standards: In 2014, Vermont adopted Vermont Education Quality Standards (EQS) that require local school districts to deliver curriculum aligned to Vermont Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements (PBGRs) approved by the State Board of Education. Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in global citizenship (including the concepts of civics, economics, geography, world language, cultural studies and history). Although global citizenship includes economics, it does not include financial literacy. In addition to the EQS and PBGRs, educational standards have been approved by the state board of education that include some financial literacy topics, see: Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities (Framework).
- Caveat: It is not clear how Vermont measures student achievement in financial literacy or how the state monitors local school district implementation of the financial literacy education requirement. The financial literacy topics identified in the Framework are classified as “vital results.” Vital results standards are the responsibility of teachers in all fields of knowledge. Thus, personal finance topics lack a subject matter home in the framework. The financial literacy concepts are fairly sparse and briefly cover the topics of personal economics and career choices.
- Extra Credit: The Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College created a Financial Literacy Task force of governmental, business and non-profit leaders that made recommendations for policymakers with regard to increasing Vermonter’s financial literacy, see Vermont’s Financial Literacy Action Plan. In 2015, a law was passed creating a financial literacy commission to make policy recommendations to the governor and legislature. See: Vermont Financial Literacy Commission Law (page 16). The Office of the State Treasurer has created a website that provides financial literacy resources. See: Treasurer Financial Literacy Resources. The Treasurer also administers a Financial Literacy Trust Fund.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://www.champlain.edu/centers-of-excellence/center-for-financial-literacy/report-making-the-grade” title=”Making the Grade: 2015 National Report Card on State of Financial Literacy” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the full report.[/x_button]
Jan 11, 2016 | Economic Security, Education, Mentoring, Non-profit, State Initiatives, Vermont, Work
Understanding Vermont is a report series from the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) that launched in 2007 and serves as a resource for philanthropists who want to learn about community needs, innovative and model programs, and effective strategies for giving.
Opportunity: 11 Critical Paths for Philanthropy in Vermont, published in November 2015, is the VCF’s newest Understanding Vermont report. You can page through the entire report or easily explore it by issue area.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://publicassets.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SWVTfinal.1.pdf” title=”Understanding Vermont 2015″ target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the full report.[/x_button]
Jan 11, 2016 | Economic Security, Non-profit, State Initiatives, Talent Management, Vermont, Wage Gap, Work, Workplace Diversity
“Vermont’s economy began to grow again after the recession, but has since cooled off. Even before the recession, real economic growth was slow. And figures released in December 2015 show that Vermont’s gross state product—the value of goods and services produced in the state—was essentially the same in 2014 as it was in 2011, after adjusting for inflation.
Vermont’s labor market also faced challenges. Although employers finally replaced all of the jobs lost in the Great Recession, total employment in 2014—which counts farm and nonfarm workers as well as the self-employed—lingered below the 2006 peak and fell for the third year in a row. And while Vermont had the 5th lowest unemployment rate in the country, many Vermonters were underemployed or had given up looking for work.
Among the states, Vermont had the 14th highest percentage of working-age population in the labor force—either working or actively looking for a job. But there were fewer younger people in the labor force, due primarily to a smaller number of 35-to- 54-year-olds in the population than prior to the recession. The labor force was more balanced by gender than in other states. However, unemployment for men remained higher than for women.”
[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://publicassets.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SWVTfinal.1.pdf” title=”Public Assets Institute: State of Working Vermont 2015″ target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the full report.[/x_button]
Dec 30, 2015 | Confidence Gap, Corporate, Economic Security, Education, Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Media, Mentoring, Non-profit, Occupational Segregation, Political, Retirement, Role of Men, Salary & Compensation, STEM, Talent Management, Wage Gap, Women of Color/Visible Minorities, Work, Workplace Diversity
A “Knowledge Center” filled with reports, infographics, recorded webinars, etc. relevant to the workplace diversity, corporate governance, men, sponsorship/mentoring, women in leadership, etc.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/topics” title=”Catalyst Knowledge Center” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the full article.[/x_button]
Dec 30, 2015 | Confidence Gap, Corporate, Economic Security, Education, Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Media, Mentoring, Non-profit, Occupational Segregation, Political, Retirement, Salary & Compensation, STEM, Talent Management, Wage Gap, Women of Color/Visible Minorities, Work, Workplace Diversity
McKinsey’s new report, “Women Matter 2013: Moving corporate culture, moving boundaries,” focuses on mindsets and corporate culture to help companies understand how they can make change happen.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://www.mckinsey.com/features/women_matter” title=”Women Matter 2013″ target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the full article.[/x_button]
Dec 30, 2015 | Corporate, Education, Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Non-profit, Occupational Segregation, Political, Talent Management, Work, Workplace Diversity
Diversity is a one-way train, and those who don’t get on board will fail.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://hechingerreport.org/teaching-profession-isnt-pink-enough/” title=”Binders Full of Everyone” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the full article.[/x_button]
