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For Immediate Release

Over 250 Teachers Attend All-Scholarship Conference to Move Financial Literacy Forward 

Washington, DC – November 3, 2021 – The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy will bring nearly 300 teachers to Washington, DC this weekend to “Return, Reset, and Recommit” to financial education in the classroom.  With support from Experian, the National Endowment for Financial Education, the Wells Fargo Foundation, and many other sponsors and scholarship providers, elementary, middle, and high school teachers from across the country will attend on scholarships that cover their hotel rooms, meals, and conference registration.

After skipping last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12th annual Jump$tart National Educator Conference (#JumpstartNEC) will convene November 6-8, 2021, at the Omni Shoreham Washington, DC.  Recognized as the premier national conference dedicated to financial education in the classroom and the talented professionals who teach it, the Jump$tart NEC provides teachers with current information on personal finance, introduces them to effective curriculum resources, promotes networking, and gives Jump$tart and its partners the opportunity to say thank you for what these educators do every day.

“Financial education in school is our best chance of reaching all of the students with all of the information they’ll need to make good financial decisions throughout their lives,” said Laura Levine, Jump$tart Coalition President and CEO.  “This is most important for those students who aren’t able to learn about finance at home and we hope efforts like this contribute to the narrowing of the wealth and equity gap in our nation.”

“Not all financial education is created equal,” said Dan Hebert, Jump$tart Senior Director of Education, who runs the annual conference. “Well qualified, well-trained, well-supported teachers are key to the effectiveness of financial education, and we’re absolutely committed to helping personal finance teachers do what they do so well. And if we can use this conference to show them a little love, all the better.”

Levine added, “So many of us are still feeling the economic effects of the pandemic and want our kids to be better prepared, financially, for whatever unknown comes next. So even before the world returns to ‘normal,’ the need for more financial education has become increasingly clear.”

This year’s Jump$tart NEC will focus on emerging topics, such as cryptocurrency and digital finance. Teachers will receive a copy of the newly revised National Standards for Personal Financial Education and a certificate for 15 professional development hours.

The Jump$tart NEC offers value to veteran financial educators, as well as those new to the field. While all teachers attend on scholarship, three have received special recognition scholarships in honor of the organization’s past Chairs.  Jackie Collins, a teacher at Mansfield High School in Massachusetts, has received the H. Randy Lively Pioneer Award; Laurie Gardner, from Marine City High School in Michigan is recipient of the Neil Milner New Ideas Award; and Joey Running, who teaches at West Albany High School in Oregon will attend on the Ted Beck Effective Educator Award.

Collins, Gardner, and Running will serve as Jump$tart NEC Teacher Ambassadors, helping to welcome and guide first time attendees.  Rounding out the roster of 2021 Teacher Ambassadors are Jay Davis, Smyrna High School, Delaware; John Dudley, East Side High School, Newark, New Jersey; Caroline Masterson, Merrimack High School, New Hampshire; and Tiffanie Smith, Heritage High School, Newport News, Virginia.

About Jump$tart:  Jump$tart is a 501-c-3 tax-exempt nonprofit coalition formed in 1995 to advance financial literacy—especially among preschool through college-age youth—by working cooperatively and collaboratively. Based in Washington, DC, the coalition includes more than one hundred national partner organizations and affiliated state coalitions in nearly every state. Jump$tart is the original promoter of April as Financial Literacy Month and its #CheckYourSchool campaign is working to get effective financial education into every school in the country. To learn more, visit us at jumpstart.orgjumpstartclearinghouse.org, and checkyourschool.org.

Media contact:
Jessica Cultra
Director of Communications, Jump$tart
Jessica.cultra@jumpstart.org
(202) 846-6780 ext. 103