My latest Treasury Talks video is now available and if you care about the economic future of our state, I think you’ll want to take a look.
In nearly every survey, Mississippi ranks near or at the bottom of the list when it comes to financial literacy. And, it’s no coincidence that we finish at the very top in poverty. We need to empower Mississippians with the knowledge and skills to handle their own finances if we’re going to break the cycle of poverty in our state.
But, Mississippi doesn’t require financial education in our schools. In states that do, young people are seeing better credit scores because they have the critical life skills that help them save as well as spend and invest wisely. I started a public-private partnership, Treasurer’s Education About Money, or TEAM, to bring the necessary resources and teacher training for financial education into our schools at no cost to the schools, teachers, parents, or students.
Together, in just two years, TEAM reached 48,000 students in over 300 schools with 163,000 learning hours. Along with our TEAM partner, the Mississippi Council on Economic Education, we’ve also helped train over 800 teachers. In assessments, students who participate in this program raise their financial awareness by 91 percent! Learn how you can get involved in changing the financial culture of our state by watching this video.