Dear Jump$tart Partners and Friends,
 
I am reaching out to you today because I feel very strongly that the findings of the attached research –Jump$tart’s Financial Foundations for Educators Student Impact Study – are worthy of your time and consideration.

This study – conducted by The Financial Literacy Group and made possible through the generous sponsorship of Fidelity Investments, the National Endowment for Financial Education, and the Wells Fargo Foundation – found that the J$FFE professional development program had a substantial impact on the personal finance knowledge gains of students taught by teachers who had completed the J$FFE program. Specifically, high school students taught by trained teachers achieved personal finance knowledge gains that were three times greater than the knowledge gains of students taught by the same teachers before they completed the J$FFE program.

Moreover, students from communities that have been historically financially underserved realized an even greater benefit from the training their teachers received, with a fourfold increase in their financial knowledge gains following their teachers’ participation in the J$FFE program.

These findings reaffirm the value of content-based professional development for educators. They also provide valuable signposts that indicate where the financial education community can have the biggest impact.

In addition to being insightful, the research is also timely. The surge in national resolve to narrow racial economic disparities has caused us all to recognize that some jobs need doing first. This research highlights the multiplier effect of well-trained teachers – especially for communities of color.  

While this is a single study with a relatively modest sample size, the results are strongly suggestive. We think this report establishes a new pathway for research on how to make financial education more effective.  And of course, the results further validate JumpStart’s ongoing commitment to supporting educators with high-quality training, standards-based curriculum resources and advocacy for sufficient instructional hours to properly equip students to face their financial futures.

I encourage you take the time to review the study. If you are as impressed as I was, please share this research with your own community. Spreading the word will help to build recognition and support for educational changes that can have a significant positive impact on future generations.  

Mike Staten
Associate Dean for Career and Academic Services, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona
Chairman, Jump$tart Coalition National Board of Directors