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Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance
The Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance is a collaborative endeavor initially proposed by Jump$tart board member Ted Beck of the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) and undertaken by the Jump$tart Coalition on behalf of its partners. The guiding objective of this initiative is to provide PreK-12 teachers with a standard, consistent and effective formal education designed to prepare them sufficiently for teaching personal finance in the classroom. [Note: For information about the Jump$tart National Educator Conference, please click here.]
Initial Objectives
- The first objective of the J$TTA is to design, test, and deploy a standardized teacher training model intended for use in locally customizable 3- to 5-day programs.
- In conjunction with the pilot programs, the J$TTA has begun to collect and analyze data to document and guide effectiveness in teacher training and support. As the Alliance grows and others begin to use the teacher training model, these partners will conduct assessments that the J$TTA will compile.
- After finalizing the model, the J$TTA will develop a distance learning component, designed to reach teachers—particularly in geographically remote regions—who would not otherwise benefit from these teacher training programs.
Current Status
The Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance initiative is currently in its development stages. Elements of the training model have been tested in pilot programs in Chicago, IL; in the Denver, Colorado area; and in Burlington, VT. A pilot is scheduled in Tuscon, AZ later this summer. A fifth and final pilot is being considered for a yet undetermined location—likely in the southern part of the U.S. The J$TTA team refines the model based on observations and assessments conducted at each pilot site. Jump$tart has not yet announced plans to make the teacher training model widely available, but anticipates that it will be some time in 2012.
National Advisory Committee
A national advisory committee consisting of representatives from the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), the Council for Economic Education (CEE), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Family Economics and Financial Education (FEFE), Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury has provided leadership, direction, and a commitment of cooperation to the project.
The Alliance, not to be confused with the national advisory committee, is envisioned as an open-ended group of diverse entities committed to the objectives of this initiative; including local, state, and national entities that conduct teacher training in personal finance, as well as supporters of these teacher training endeavors.
Underlying Research
The basis for this initiative stems from independent research, conducted by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers and funded by NEFE, which found that relatively few teachers believe they are adequately prepared to teach personal finance topics. Wendy L. Way, Ph.D., and Karen Holden, Ph.D., surveyed more than 1,200 K-12 teachers and found fewer than 20 percent reported feeling “very competent” to teach any of the six personal finance topics outlined in the National Standards for K-12 Personal Finance Education. Nearly 64 percent did not feel well qualified to use their state’s financial literacy standards. Yet, 89 percent agreed or strongly agreed that students should take a financial literacy course or pass a test for high school graduation.
Ongoing Assessments
J$TTA model utilizes three modes of assessment: attitudinal; behavioral; and qualitative measures. The ongoing assessment will provide an understanding of the program’s effectiveness in delivering core knowledge to teachers; determine how well teachers retain the curriculum content; and demonstrate how they use the information in their personal lives, as well as in their classrooms.
The J$TTA Model will:
- Focus on improving teachers’ own knowledge of, and confidence in, personal finance topics, as well as their ability to teach personal finance.
- Establish consistency and quality in teacher preparedness, regardless of the subject/course in which personal finance is being taught.
- Enable teachers to select and utilize the many outstanding financial education curricula and resources currently available.
- Help many organizations improve their teacher training programs.
- Allow organizations that use the model to continue to utilize local sponsors, presenters, and other resources.
- Continue to compile assessment data to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of teacher training and give insights into how this training affects teachers’ own financial behaviors.
- Feature a distance learning component, designed to reach teachers—particularly in geographically remote regions—who would not otherwise benefit from these teacher training programs.
It is expected that use of the J$TTA model will be controlled, but will generally be made available to interested parties at no cost to them.
For more information about the J$TTA and development of the teacher training model, please contact Dan Hebert, Jump$tart Director of Personal Development Instruction.
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