Teachers, education professionals to benefit from free training from Federal Reserve

Teachers, education professionals to benefit from free training from Federal Reserve

ST. LOUIS - Educators are now able to access a series of free online professional development programs thanks to the collaboration of four Federal Reserve banks: St. Louis, Atlanta, Boston and Philadelphia.

The banks are leveraging each other’s online resources to provide even more information, free classroom resources and professional development options for educators through an online professional development portal. The tool, hosted by the St. Louis Fed, is designed for teachers to receive credit while enhancing their teaching skills.

Through this portal, teachers of all grade levels can gain continuing education, Federal Reserve certification, or up to five hours of graduate credit. The topics covered include inflation, unemployment, GDP, money and monetary policy.

“This portal will provide an excellent opportunity for teachers across the country to gain the training they need, backed by the Federal Reserve,” explained Mary Suiter, assistant vice president and economic education officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Educators will choose a topic, complete the readings and online activities, observe students’ completion of an interactive program on the topic and submit assessment items—all online.

The Fed banks will collaborate, serving as conduits in their respective districts between teachers and state departments of education or universities to ensure teachers receive continuing education or graduate credit.

For more information on the portal and additional free classroom resources for economics and personal finance, visit Econ Lowdown at www.stlouisfed.org/education. For additional educational resources from all Federal Reserve banks, visit www.federalreserveeducation.org.