Teachers Learn From Economic Summit

Educators from Arkansas and Missouri came together Nov. 12, 2007, for the first annual economic summit for middle- and high-school teachers. Economic Summit: A Conference for Secondary Teachers was designed to promote discussion about globalization and its impact on the northeast part of Arkansas, the southern part of Missouri, the nation and the world.

Little Rock Senior Branch Executive Robert Hopkins brought together educators from around Arkansas and surrounding states to discuss current economic issues and how to successfully teach students about this topic. Teachers learned how globalization concepts fit state frameworks, participated in discussion groups and listened to St. Louis Fed economist Dr. Michael Pakko speak on "Economic Outlook and the Role of Globalization in the Region." Content, lesson plans and activities based on globalization were presented.

In his keynote address, Pakko spoke about the ramifications of globalization on Arkansas and the United States. Teachers were given the opportunity to ask questions about globalization, the Fed and other issues that have been raised in their classrooms.

Subject-specific roundtable discussions were also held. Each group was charged with discussing the following:

• How can you use the information gained from the summit?
• What lesson plans can you share with group members?
• What resources, both online and printed, can you share with the group?
• What standards and curriculum items are needed?
• What student needs and shortcomings do you see in economic and financial literacy education?
• What views do the school boards, administrations and teachers represented at this summit hold about economic and financial literacy education?

This is the first summit held for teachers of economics who teach in different subject areas. Based on the response of the attendees, this conference met the needs of teachers implementing state and national standards and frameworks into their subject areas.

The summit was developed by the Little Rock Branch of the St. Louis Fed with support from Economics Arkansas, the Bessie B. Moore Center for Economic Education, the Arkansas Securities Department and a planning committee comprised of teachers from several disciplines, including family and consumer science, business education, personal finance, social studies, foreign languages, workforce education and middle-school applications.