Our technology trends require the restructuring of coaching and learning styles. But educators have problems modifying their curricula and adapting to different approaches because it takes repeated practice and discussion to be successful. Yet one could argue that you can’t afford not to redesign when the lack of financial savvy among millennials is causing a detrimental trickle-down effect in society.

To compensate for that gap in our school systems, dozens of well-intended organizations have emerged. Here are a few:

Junior Achievement. These are volunteer programs for those in kindergarten through the 12th grade that foster work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills and use experiential learning to inspire students to dream big and reach their potential.

The National Endowment for Financial Education. This is the leading private nonprofit 501(c)(3) national foundation dedicated to inspiring empowered financial decision-making for individuals and families through every stage of life.

Jump$tart. This is a coalition of diverse financial education stakeholders whose organizations work together to educate and prepare our nation’s youth for lifelong financial success.

These organizations in the corporate and philanthropic community realize the gravity of our society’s financial illiteracy. They have reached out to millions of people who would not otherwise have been served. But while they are admirable endeavors, they are not enough. We need to tackle this problem in our schools.

The Council for Economic Education’s “2014 Survey of the States” has revealed little or no growth in the financial literacy in our schools. A majority of the public school students in the United States are still not exposed to economics or personal finance education despite the lessons of the recent recession.
Only 22 of the 50 states require high school students to take an economics course and only 17 states require high school students to take a personal finance course. Just six require the testing of personal finance concepts, the survey found.