NATIONAL ECONOMIC EDUCATION MONTH
October is officially National Economic Education Month! The observance promotes the importance of teaching economics in our schools.
Economics is all around us. It teaches us that scarcity forces everyone to make choices, and our choices come with costs. Students with a clear understanding of basic economic principles will be equipped to make educated decisions.
By studying how our economy works, young people can also learn how to make efficient choices in managing their own scarce resources. Economic education involves teaching children decision-making skills they can apply to all areas of their lives. These same skills are necessary to make informed choices as engaged citizens.
Preparing our children for success in life involves teaching them critical decision-making skills when they are young. Providing teachers with innovative and meaningful educational opportunities is one of the most important things we can do to ensure prosperity in our students’ lives and in our communities.
Economic education must be established and maintained in our K-12 schools. Even young children are capable of learning basic economic concepts that help them understand their economic world.
Economic education in our schools depends on K-12 educators being equipped with high-quality training. They also require resources to ensure students have equitable access to classroom experiences that develop the skills necessary to make informed choices as individuals and members of their community.
HOW TO OBSERVE National Economic Education Month
Throughout October, educators, families, and community leaders can promote economic education in many ways:
- Families can have conversations about how they make decisions for their homes.
- Teachers may invite community and business leaders to visit their students to share how their decision-making process compares to families making choices every day.
- Business and government leaders can reach out to educators to offer help in promoting quality economic education in schools.
- Teachers should visit gcee.org to learn about our economics competitions or register for a workshop.
- Use #NationalEconomicEducationMonth to join the conversation and share your experiences with economic education.
NATIONAL ECONOMIC EDUCATION MONTH HISTORY
The Georgia Council on Economic Education founded National Economic Education Month in 2021 to promote the importance of economics in education and help prepare students for their economic roles as workers, entrepreneurs, consumers, borrowers, savers, and investors. Economic education holds the key to living productive lives. It is also essential for our economy to function at its fullest levels of productivity while maintaining its competitive advantages.
The Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed the first National Economic Education Month in October 2021 and every October thereafter.