For Students

Advocacy is a great learning opportunity for your students as well as an opportunity to improve access to personal finance education in your community. Use this as a chance to teach your students about civic participation (there are great lesson plan resources available here or here.) Then get your students together to write letters, push for legislation, and even plan a visit to your state capital! Legislators love to meet with students and it is a great way for the students to develop and communicate their case for why personal finance education is important. You can also plan a visit to school board meetings or to visit other state officials, such as the state superintendent or treasurer. 

In advance, be sure to get the message right. Remember, you are there to talk about your ask – you don’t have to be prepared to have all the answers but having relevant facts can be powerful. If you are advocating for a change in your district or state, look up how many students would be impacted – how many students are there in the state (that information is available here)? What are the demographics of the students who would be affected (information is available by race and poverty level)? This data will help you paint a picture of who your proposed policy would impact.

Use CEE’s resources to make the case for personal finance and economics education in your district and state. Use the 2022 Survey of the States to show how your state compares to other states in requirements and access to these courses. Use our research and impact page to find studies that illustrate the value and necessity of teaching economics and personal finance. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau put together a helpful report on advocating for financial education. It includes case studies and key questions for this work.