Colonial outlines K–12 economics and personal finance program; district says 10th-grade course embeds personal finance

Colonial School District officials on May 6 described how the district teaches economics and financial literacy from kindergarten through high school, saying the work aims to give students both economic reasoning and everyday money-management skills.

"By building their economic literacy, we help our students grow into informed and engaged citizens who can understand public policy and participate meaningfully in our democracy," said Dr. Nicholas Baker, supervisor of curriculum, assessment and instruction, during a presentation to the Colonial School Board.

The district described a sequence that begins with an "Economics for Kids" program in kindergarten through second grade created by the University of Delaware Center for Economic Education, continues with a civics-first then economics sequence in seventh grade, and culminates in a full-year high school economics course required for 10th graders. That high school course includes roughly half a year of personal finance topics, the district said, and is supplemented by electives in business and a senior math course that covers finance-related material.

Teachers and students demonstrated classroom activities used in the district. Rachel Nacho, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at George Reed Middle School, said seventh graders study economic systems, macroeconomics indicators such as GDP and inflation, and microeconomics concepts including supply and demand, finishing the year with simulations on international trade and personal finance.

"We begin with an overview of different economic systems around the world," Nacho said. "The year concludes with simulations on international trade and personal finance, which provides practical hands-on lessons in budgeting, banking, career planning and investing."

At the high school level, Jessica Sawyer, William Penn High School economics teacher, described classroom work on practical skills: budgeting, paying for college, comparing payment platforms, checking-account management, taxes, credit, investing and insurance. "We emphasize the importance of saving early," Sawyer said. "As soon as you start your first job, start a 401(k) or a Roth IRA — we talk about different forms of investing and building from less risky to riskier options."

Sawyer said the district invites community partners into classes; she cited a recent presentation from John Bell of the Better Business Bureau of Delaware on scams and payment-platform risks affecting teens.

Board members asked about curriculum coverage of insurance, long- and short-term investing, and digital currencies. Sawyer said the program covers auto and renters insurance and addresses life insurance in the taxes unit; she said the personal finance standards and resources from the Federal Reserve and the University of Delaware support those lessons. On cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Sawyer said teachers plan to expand coverage as the topic becomes more relevant but that staff rely on partners and the University of Delaware to help update materials.

A board member asked about pending state legislation regarding a half-year financial literacy credit. Presenters said the district had already embedded personal finance within the tenth-grade economics course and that the state recently studied how districts address financial literacy; the legislation was described as still pending and under review.

District leaders said instructional materials and professional development come from the University of Delaware's Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Dr. Baker emphasized the program's purpose: teaching students to apply critical thinking to both public-policy questions and everyday financial choices.

Board members and staff encouraged continued partnership with community organizations and monitoring of emerging issues such as scams and digital payments to keep instruction current.