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Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance
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Authorized Users:
Prospective Users: |
Background – The Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance (J$TTA) is a collaborative endeavor initially proposed by Jump$tart board member Ted Beck of the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) and undertaken by the Jump$tart Coalition on behalf of its partners, in response to independent and widely quoted research, conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which found that relatively few personal finance teachers felt adequately prepared to teach the subject or use their state’s standards.
The five founding members of the J$TTA (Council for Economic Education, Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, Junior Achievement USA, National Endowment for Financial Education, and the Take Charge America Institute at the University of Arizona) developed the model with valuable insight from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Education. The five non-profit organizations now serve as the J$TTA national advisory committee and support the model, jointly, as the standard in personal finance teacher training.
The guiding objective of the Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance and its Model is to help local organizations provide K-12 teachers with standard, consistent and effective professional development that improves their own level of financial literacy, improving their confidence in, and enthusiasm for, teaching personal finance in the classroom. Delivered as a toolkit, this standardized model will help to ensure a sufficient and consistent level of competence for teachers of personal finance across states and professional disciplines (e.g. economics, consumer science, math, etc.), and regardless of which organization or institution delivers the training. In addition to a General Event Guide, the model contains seven modules, each with its own Learning Objectives, Presenter Notes, PowerPoint slides and handout materials. View a sample of a module’s elements here.
The Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance Model was tested in Chicago, Colorado, Vermont, Arizona and South Carolina before being released for general use. The pilot programs proved so successful that they were repeated, electively, in Colorado and Vermont.
The class topics are designed to be presented by local academics, financial planners, insurance agents, bank/credit union professionals, etc., representing a diverse and trusted group of experts, who are strictly prohibited from self-promotion. Class topics include: Consider How Economic Trends Affect You Personally * Develop Strategies to Manage your Finances and Protect yourself from Potential Financial Catastrophe * Explore Ways to Build Wealth * Explore Strategies to Manage Debt * Devise a Plan to Minimize Financial Risk * Compare Financial Services and Products * Protect Yourself from Fraud * and, Explore Personal Finance Resources.
Assessment – This unique training model utilizes three modes of assessment to enhance future professional development for teachers of personal finance: attitudinal, behavioral, and qualitative measures. The effectiveness of the pilot programs is supported by research, which shows that teacher participants improved their financial knowledge through the training, retained it after six months, had made positive changes in the management of their own finances, and were integrating what they had learned in their classrooms. Click here to download the Research Report. Importantly, assessments conducted at future training events, will contribute to ongoing research in professional development.
Scale – The J$TTA does not plan to conduct all of the teacher training events itself; rather, it hopes that this Model will help other local, state, regional, and national organizations conduct teacher-training events of their own, based on a proven format. Local training events that are standard in content, but customized with local flavor and flair, will best utilize the vast resources and expertise from all corners of the country. The five organizational members of the National Advisory Committee hope to find some of the earliest adopters of the Model and this concept among their own national networks.
Funding – Each teacher-training event based on the J$TTA Model will be independently funded, according to the plan of the authorized user. Some may charge a tuition or registration fee; others will obtain grants and sponsorships to cover the costs. Some users will seek gifts-in-kind – such as the donation of a meeting facility – and many will utilize a combination of these. The General Event Guide helps users anticipate costs for facilities, meals, materials, etc. The J$TTA hopes that sponsors, donors, and grantmakers will come to rely on the J$TTA brand to signify quality and a worthwhile investment.
Availability – Use of the J$TTA Model will be controlled, but is made available to qualified parties at no cost to them. To view the Rules of Usage, click here. To apply for free access to use the Model, click here. For more information about the J$TTA and teacher training model, please contact Dan Hebert, Jump$tart Director of Professional Development Instruction.
The J$TTA Model will:
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Focus on improving teachers’ own knowledge of, and confidence in, personal finance topics, as well as their ability to teach personal finance. - Establish consistency and quality in teacher preparedness, regardless of the subject/course in which personal finance is being taught.
- Enable teachers to select and utilize the many outstanding financial education curricula and resources currently available.
- Help many organizations improve their teacher training programs.
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Allow organizations that use the model to continue to utilize local sponsors, presenters, and other resources.
- Continue to compile assessment data to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of teacher training and give insights into how this training affects teachers’ own financial behaviors. Assessment daa for each training event will be shared back to the host organization upon completion.
Upcoming Training Events
View a list of upcoming professional development events, announced by authorized users of the Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance Model.
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