July 12, 2011
University Faculty to Mentor 20
Teachers with Teaching Financial Education Group at Summer Academy
Beginning July 13-15
The
partnership between St. John’s and the Teaching Financial
Education Group begins in earnest tomorrow, July 13, through July
15 when teachers from across New York State will spend three days
at the University’s Queens campus – to be schooled on financial
literacy topics and subject matter that are critical in today’s
society.
The purpose of the program is to teach teachers how to instill
financial literacy concepts into already existing curriculum. A
total of 20 teachers from across New York State will participate in
the summer academy and use the learning plans they develop in the
fall semester with their students. St. John’s will work with the
teachers to assess the success of embedding financial literacy
concepts into their regular school lesson plans.
The summer academy is being taught by St. John’s University
professors Nina Dorata and Timothy Coville (Peter J. Tobin College
of Business) and professors Judith McVarish and Julie Carter (The
School of Education). In addition, the Teaching Financial Education
Group will have two facilitators participating. The School of
Education and the Tobin College of Business have been instrumental
in providing their faculty, time and resources for the development
of the academy.
Teachers from academic subjects such as Math, Language Arts and
Social Studies were invited to attend. This diversity in subject
areas shows that financial literacy does not only have to be taught
in Math or business classes.
“It is critical that young people, from childhood on to adult life,
become aware of how to handle money. And it is just as critical,
therefore, that we develop standards for the teaching of financial
literacy,” said Jerrold Ross, Dean of St. John’s University’s
School of Education. “But the standards must be so that they do not
overburden our teachers, with the goal being to find a way to
utilize materials to educate children from first grade through
college to explain the process and ultimately lead to positive
results.”
On May 4, 2011, a formal announcement was made at St. John’s
Manhattan campus regarding the historic partnership and a proposed
National Center for Financial Literacy. The event was attended by
several dignitaries including New York State Comptroller Tom
DiNapoli and Denis Hughes, President of the New York State AFL-CIO.
The Summer Academy is just the first step toward the ultimate goal
of a national center becoming a reality in the near future.
The financial literacy program’s joint partners (St. John’s
University and the Teaching Financial Literacy Group) are proud to
thank current sponsors Sovereign/Santander Bank, Fidelity
Investments, MasterCard and Wells Fargo as well as the support and
hard work of St. John’s University’s Corporate Social
Responsibility Council. The council is designed to address
the educational, environmental and social needs of various
stakeholders. These include corporations, community groups,
business leaders, consumers, not-for-profits, and everyday
citizens.
For more information contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice
President for Media Relations by calling 718.990.6185 or e-mail
inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.