Advocacy update: Kansas and New Hampshire become 16th and 17th states to guarantee a semester-long personal finance course for high schoolers
Read on to learn how they achieved this...
So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season...including 2 more states that will ensure that high school students crossing that graduation stage will have the financial know-how gained from a personal finance course. Here's how they got there:
- Kansas (#16): Last Thursday (11/10), the Kansas State Board of Education voted 8-1 on new high school graduation requirements which include a 1/2 credit (one semester) course in financial literacy and a requirement that students complete the FAFSA. The new graduation requirements will take effect in 2027.
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New Hampshire (#17): Earlier this year, financial education bills were passed by legislators and signed by Governor Sununu. The language in this recently released technical advisory from the New Hampshire Dept. of Education makes clear that all students will be guaranteed to take a standalone personal finance course:
"...adds personal finance literacy as a new stand-alone subject requirement. HB 1671 became effective August 23, 2022, however, the requirement for personal finance literacy becomes applicable for the 2023-2024 academic year."
To summarize, it's been an incredible year for increasing access to financial education as six states have now made the commitment to guarantee a semester long personal finance. Kansas and New Hampshire join Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Michigan who passed legislation or enacted policies earlier this year.
The team at Next Gen Personal Finance looks forward to supporting teachers and district leaders during this implementation period with our industry leading curriculum and professional development offerings.
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Find out which states introduced bills in 2022 with the NGPF Financial Education BillTracker.
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Looking for tools to advocate at the school, district or state level for increased access to financial education? Check out the NGPF advocacy tools!
