Comments on: “College and Career Readiness” means students can pass tests but can’t balance their checkbooks.

By: Carol W.

Carol W. — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 21:45:55 +0000

There are national standards for teacher education in Family and Consumer Sciences that incorporate all of the items that were listed as “never learned.” Perhaps it is because Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) classes have a reputation that is gender-biased and not as important because we deal with life skills that college or career bound students (that means everyone) need to be successful in life. Why don’t we support FCS teachers who have been prepared to teach personal finance, nutrition, family relations, child development in authentic and experiential ways? You tell me…

By: Rebecca Wilson-Shore

Rebecca Wilson-Shore — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 13:40:15 +0000

Not sure about all the financial greed, but I surely know that education is severely lacking in teaching real world skills. Most people I knew in high school had after school jobs and a bank account, and therefore, there was more real-world applicability of how much a candy bar cost, how much gas one used in a week, or how to deposit a check. There is still something to be said about typing, learning cursive, and taking home-ec or woodworking-tiny lessons that are hidden inside each of those subjects that allow students to learn problem solving, control, and self sufficiency. And I would have loved to have a more in- depth knowledge of interest rates and loans. When I worked for Ford Credit, it was a HUGE eye opener to me at how little people really understand their money and how they are spending it.

By: Christine Zirkelbach

Christine Zirkelbach — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 15:46:43 +0000

This article makes several excellent points. I am in the college process with my son, and he is fortunate to have parents who planned for his college education since birth. But, I see his peers, signing on for huge student loans, parents and grandparents co-signing for tens of thousands of dollars. There is no conception of how student loans are the 21st Century version of indentured servitude.
But, another part of the problem, even if you have a meaningless job at MickeyDs after school, minors under 18 are no longer able to cash paychecks or open checking accounts. This is a major opportunity lost.