All We Know that May Be So in Economic Education

Abstract

The teaching of economics at the Kindergarten-12 level has been highly researched and reported upon since the 1970’s and has primarily concentrated on curriculum, materials, enrollments, and effectiveness of teaching techniques. Previous studies have focused on how well students are learning economics, how teachers are trained, and other outcomes associated with improved understanding of economics. Several major survey articles have reported upon the current status of economic education and noted several trends. This paper will provide an overview of recent reviews of research in economic education and the results of the recent National Assessment of Educational Progress in economics. It will also highlight the results of recent, national surveys regarding the status of economic education nationally and economics teachers’ thinking about the subject.

Keywords: Curriculum, curriculum standards, economic education, financial education, NAEP, research, teacher preparation