Make financial literacy a requirement to graduate?

[longnecker]

MARYLAND - Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, may be the basics of a solid education. But now, there's a push to add "financial literacy" to that list. Maryland Comptroller, Peter Franchot, is circulating a petition to push for a high school graduation requirement making it mandatory for students to pass a course in personal finance, which includes: how to use credit, the risks of excessive debt, household budgeting, as well as the importance of saving and investing for the future "It could put a dent in many of the problems that we're dealing with," adds David Wooten, one of the many helping circulate the petition. "And when you are trying to live in today's society you have to be able to manage money."
WMDT spoke with Brooke Pfeffer of Salisbury, who is on board with the ideas behind the petition, "I agree, I think it should be something more. Maybe start it in elementary school, not as something mandatory, but bring it into the curriculum." The goal is to collect 10 thousand signatures before the start of the 2012 Maryland General Assembly session, which is just about a month away, on January 11th.
http://www.wmdt.com/story/16223986/p...in-high-school

[Kid Lester]

It should be a senior level elective that could be used to fill a requirement. Not necessarily a requirement.

I'd make my kids take it.

[Curly]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

[Crabby]

When did that stop being taught? I learned simple and compound interest and financing, borrowing and lending, the % of income that should be spent on housing and all that in math in high school in PA back in the very early 60's?

[longnecker]

When did that stop being taught? I learned simple and compound interest and financing, borrowing and lending, the % of income that should be spent on housing and all that in math in high school in PA back in the very early 60's?

My son will be graduating from Sussex Central in May and this might as well be spoken in a foreign language. He has no clue.He is college bound.

[TattdMom]

I would definately be for this. They never taught this when I went to school nor did my kids learn it in school. They learned it at home but not in school.