ISBN:  Unavailable

Category: Unavailable

Page count: 16

To address some of the financial challenges facing low-income students, federal policymakers enacted a provision in the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) that makes financial literacy a required service of all TRIO programs (or, in the case of McNair, simply makes permissible). Effective August 2008, these programs started offering financial education to the students they serve. Given this new federal mandate, it is critical that TRIO professionals become more knowledgeable about financial education programming. For administrators looking to create or refine their financial education curricula, the authors believe the information contained in this policy brief may prove useful. The data presented in this brief was collected via surveys administered through the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis at the University of Southern California (USC), in collaboration with the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education. Based on the findings in the current study and the review of the literature, the authors offer nine recommendations that may help administrators improve or create a financial education curriculum. These recommendations include: (1) Checking out resources from external organizations; (2) Contacting postsecondary offices; (3) Talking to colleagues; (4) Combining expertise; (5) Taking advantage of teachable moments; (6) Using active, experiential, and problem-based learning; (7) Prioritizing financial education topics; (8) Evaluating student learning and program effectiveness; and (9) Making financial education mandatory. (Contains 11 footnotes and 4 figures.).