Voices from the Field: Perspectives from High School Financial Educators

High school personal finance courses provide youth with skills to successfully manage money and finances. Extension programs have been vital partners to help develop and implement personal finance courses through resource development and trainings. To strengthen these classes, we conducted a comprehensive needs assessment with high school teachers. The needs assessment included surveys, focus groups, and interviews with high school teachers with current or previous experience teaching personal finance classes. Teachers identified major challenges related to engaging students in the program, especially students living in poverty. Recommendations include changes to the overall program and tips for replicating this needs assessment.