• Financial literacy course added to Arkansas graduation requirements (News Channel 3)

Arkansas students won’t be able to graduate from high school without some understanding of financial planning, taxes and household budgeting. A new law approved by lawmakers this year mandates that students receive instruction on a range of standards related to financial literacy, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The law, dubbed the Personal Finance and Job Readiness Act, will take effect with the class of 2021.

• At this high school, personal finance courses are required for graduation (Yahoo! Finance)

Traditionally, students must complete math, English and science credits to graduate from high school. At Oconomowoc High School in Wisconsin, seniors must now also learn about 401(k)s before they earn their caps and gowns.

• Financial literacy becomes essential learning in new high school course (CTV News Montreal)

Literacy has always been the cornerstone of public education – and a new high school course expands that literacy into personal finance. The goal of the mandatory course is to give secondary five students the information they need to make sound decisions about their money and avoid debt. It’s the kind of course that should have been added to the curriculum a long time ago, said Clorinda Antonacci, who has been teaching the course at Lester B. Pearson High School for a few months.

• Getting Businesses Involved in Schools: What's the Secret Sauce? (Education Week)

As schools all over the country try to figure out how to do a better job getting students ready for the world of work, one Minnesota high school seems to have cracked a key piece of that code: It has persuaded 200 businesses to help. Burnsville High School, a 15-mile drive south of Minneapolis, has been ramping up its focus on career readiness, echoing a theme that's high on the radar of high schools nationwide. It has excelled at something many schools struggle with: getting employers to participate meaningfully in creating courses of study and supplying their own experts to help teach students.

About the Author

Laura Matchett

After graduating with an education degree and spending 7 years in an elementary classroom, Laura made the switch to the non-profit world and loves interacting with students, educators and business professionals across the country. She is passionate about all students having access to high quality education and views personal finance education as one way to ‘level the playing field’. When Laura is not locating or creating high quality educational resources, you can find her mountain biking or searching for the best ramen in town!