Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy
Encyclopedia
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit coalition of national organizations seeking to advance the financial literacy of pre-kindergarten through college-aged students. Jump$tart Coalition endeavors to provide youth with life-long financial decision-making skills. By working together with its 150 national partners, the Jump$tart Coalition provides advocacy, research, standards and educational resources. The Jump$tart Coalition is headquartered in Washington, DC.

History

William E. Odom, former Chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Credit Corporation
Ford Motor Credit Company
Ford Motor Credit Company is the financial services arm of Ford Motor Company, and is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.Its business activities are concentrated primarily in the area of automobile loans in support of its parent company...

, is credited with the concept that led to formation of the Jump$tart Coalition in 1995. Odom's contribution to the financial literacy effort continues to be recognized through the award that bears his name, the William E. Odom Visionary Leadership Award. H. Randy Lively, former President and CEO of the American Financial Services Association
American Financial Services Association
American Financial Services Association is a trade association for the U.S. consumer credit industry headquartered in Washington, D.C.. AFSA’s 350 members include consumer and commercial finance companies, vehicle finance/leasing companies, mortgage lenders, credit card issuers, industrial banks...

, organized the first meeting of what was then called the "Partnership in Personal Finance and Consumer Credit Consortium." Through the next year, Dr. Lewis Mandell developed the financial literacy survey that is now a hallmark of the Jump$tart Coalition's work. Students from Bladensburg High School
Bladensburg High School
Bladensburg High School is a secondary school located in Bladensburg, Maryland.The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district....

 in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 helped create the current slogan ("Financial Smarts for Students") and logo. In 1997, the Jump$tart Coalition was incorporated with Lively serving as the first Chairman of Jump$tart. He was succeeded in 2008 by Neil Milner, President and CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, who will serve as Chairman through 2011.

Organization

The Jump$tart Coalition comprises more than 150 corporate, academic, non-profit and government organizations that, together, provide advocacy, research, standards and educational resources for financial education. Laura Levine currently serves as the executive director of the Jump$tart Coalition. Along with Chairman Neil Milner, the leadership includes Don Blandin of the Investor Protection Trust, Colleen Tressler of the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...

, and John Gannon of the FINRA
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
In the United States, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, is a private corporation that acts as a self-regulatory organization . FINRA is the successor to the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ...

 Investor Education Foundation, who serve as Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer, respectively.

The Coalition also includes a network of 49 affiliated state coalitions that operate on a local level to promote financial literacy. Most of the state affiliates are modeled after the national Jump$tart Coalition, although some serve a broader target audience and some do not use the Jump$tart name. State coalitions operate under independent leadership and bylaws and are connected to national Jump$tart Coalition through affiliation agreements. State coalitions are run primarily by volunteers, and are assisted by national Jump$tart's four regional consultants.

The Jump$tart Coalition's Work

The Jump$tart Coalition maintains the National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education, which serve as a program-design and evaluation framework for school administrators, teachers, curriculum specialists, instructional materials developers, and educational policymakers. Combined with the Jump$tart Coalition's best practices guidelines, the standards serve as a guide for state and local policymakers in implementing financial education legislation. The Jump$tart Coalition developed the first national conference devoted to classroom teachers of personal finance in 2009.

Financial Literacy Month

April was first promoted by the Jump$tart Coalition as Financial Literacy Month for Youth and later National Financial Literacy Month
Financial Literacy Month
National Financial Literacy Month is recognized in the United States in April in an effort to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach Americans how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits....

 to highlight the importance of financial literacy in America. The Jump$tart Coalition, Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement or JA or JA Worldwide is a non-profit youth organization that was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and senator Winthrop M. Crane. JA focuses on educating kids in K-12 about the free enterprise system...

, and the Council for Economic Education
Council for Economic Education
The Council for Economic Education is a national non-profit organization "committed to empowerment and opportunity through economic and financial literacy."...

founded “Financial Literacy Day on Capitol Hill” in 2003, which has since been held every April. Financial Literacy Day offers the Capitol Hill community and the public an opportunity to learn about the financial literacy effort and experience educational products from more than 60 sponsors and exhibitors-most of which are Jump$tart partners. Financial Literacy Day marks the culmination of Financial Literacy Month and is one of the Jump$tart Coalition's premiere events.

The Survey

The Jump$tart Survey of Personal Financial Literacy Among High School Students was first introduced in 1997. Since 2000, the Jump$tart Coalition has administered the survey biennially to determine and better understand the level of financial literacy among high school students. The Jump$tart survey has continued to document low levels of financial literacy among high school students. The 2008 version iteration of the survey extended its reach to college students. In 2010, Jump$tart contracted with an independent researcher to develop "Version 2" of the survey, which will include changes to the survey instrument, methodology, assessment, and communications plan.

The Clearinghouse

The Jump$tart Coalition maintains the most comprehensive online clearinghouse of financial educational resources for educators, parents, and Pre-K through college students currently available. The clearinghouse offers a wide variety of resources that are both free and available for purchase. The clearinghouse reviews submissions against the six broad categories of the National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education for relevancy and objectivity.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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