Economic literacy provides the foundation for saving and investing wisely. It is the basis for the responsible use of credit and money and for making informed financial decisions that can affect our families and our future. In short, economic literacy is a fundamental tool for each of us, whether we are making choices as consumers, as members of the workforce or as responsible citizens and voters.

OVERVIEW
Since 1997, The McGraw-Hill Companies has conducted an Economic Literacy Signature Program in partnership with the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE). Launched as part of the corporation's commitment to America's Promise, our goal is to foster economic literacy among the nation's youth, with a focus on at-risk students. This past year, the program provided training to more than 3,800 teachers at eight locations around the country, helping to further integrate economics content into diverse areas of the K-12 curriculum, and reaching nearly 13,000 students.

The McGraw-Hill Companies' Signature Program has resulted in the publication and distribution of a Curriculum Implementation Guidebook, which provides step-by-step guidelines on how to undertake economics curriculum implementation projects, whether for one school or an entire district. Entitled Unraveling the Mystery of Working with Schools: A Handbook for Effective School Programs, the guidebook is designed to aid NCEE EconomicsAmerica Center directors in creating and implementing successful economic education programs.

The program also continues to support the development and expansion of curriculum implementation projects by NCEE State Councils and Centers in nine states where The McGraw-Hill Companies is located. These projects encompass a variety of teacher training workshops and other approaches to further integrate economics content into diverse areas of the K-12 curriculum, taking into account the specific curricular needs of each school district. In addition, in New York City, where The McGraw-Hill Companies partners with Morris High School in the Bronx, an economics curriculum implementation project is leading to the implementation of a school-based entrepreneurship project.

To tap the resource potential and volunteerism offered by this partnership, The McGraw-Hill Companies and the NCEE developed an interactive teacher Web site – ECONnections. The foundation of this site is interactive activities and lesson plans, developed by an editorial board and selected from among teachers' favorites. ECONnections includes audio interviews with employees of The McGraw-Hill Companies to enrich lesson plans and bring "real world" applications of economics principles into the K-12 curriculum.

CONTACT US
To find out more about The McGraw-Hill Companies' Economic Literacy Signature Program contact Louise Raymond, Director, Corporate Contributions and Community Relations, The McGraw-Hill Companies at (212) 512-2001.