The NetWorth Task Force is the workhorse of the NetWorth initiative. Comprised of approximately 40 individuals, with nearly equal participation from educators and community stakeholders, its members were invited to serve by the West Virginia State Treasurer and State Superintendent of Schools based upon their expertise in curriculum development and/or personal finance competency.
[Click to view PDF list of Task Force members.]
The teacher members represent a wide range of subject specialties and grade levels, and hail from elementary, middle, and high schools across the state. Academic specialties include math, social studies, technology, educational resources, language arts, and counseling.
Task Force community members represent entities with expertise in one or more of the disciplines of personal finance. They bring real-world experience from the financial services industry, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Budgeting, credit, savings, investing, life-event planning, consumer protection, insurance, regulation, and career planning are some of the specific areas in which community members are skilled. These members also serve as a link to many other non-educators with a vested interest in the outcome of personal finance education.
The initial phase of the NetWorth program addressed the development of a list of desired personal finance competencies that all students should master by the conclusion of high school. Educators began with the fundamental concepts of each competency, and collaborated with all Task Force members to produce a set of clearly articulated core standards for the program. Community members not only helped define and clarify the personal finance competencies, they also continue to identify educational resources they can provide at no cost to schools, including projects, educational materials, volunteer instructors, field activities, etc.
Within the rubric of the West Virginia’s 21st Century Learning program, the NetWorth Task Force then turned to the development of two personal finance instructional guides for each grade, K through 12. Developed by educators with demonstrated expertise in their fields, these instructional guides were peer reviewed and evaluated by the West Virginia Department of Education, with the goal of providing classroom teachers with all needed resources for the integration of personal finance education into the core subjects of math, social studies, and language arts. The personal finance guides are made available on the State Department of Education's Teach 21 website. This second stage of the program was completed during the summer of 2009.
The next phase of the NetWorth project, currently underway, focuses on organizing a pilot program to implement and test the initial set of instructional guides. Two teachers from each school district were invited to participate in the pilot program, with a final total of approximately 80 educators from 35 West Virginia counties agreeing to serve as pilot site instructors. During the summer of 2009, task force members provided participating teachers with intensive instruction on the NetWorth’s personal finance education objectives and instructional guides in two regionally conducted workshops. With the advent of the 2009 school year, Task Force members continue to provide assistance to NetWorth pilot site teachers as they begin implementing the personal finance curriculum in the classroom. In addition to their classroom teaching responsibilities, select pilot teachers will produce additional instructional guides by the conclusion of the school year. Through extensive pre and post testing of both instructors and students, the NetWorth pilot program is premised on research-driven results, and will be continually assessed, with the aim of maintaining flexibility to make adjustments as needed.
It is anticipated the NetWorth program will be fully implemented in every West Virginia classroom, reaching each and every West Virginia student, during the 2010 school year.
Support Messages
• From First Lady Gayle Manchin
• From State Auditor Glen Gainer
Resources
• National Financial Literacy Challenge (US Department of Treasury)
• Taking Ownership of the Future: National Strategy for Financial Literacy (download PDF file)
• National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education, JumpStart Coalition, 2007 (PDF file)
NetWorth Coordination
NetWorth is a joint initiative of the West Virginia State Treasurer's Office and West Virginia Department of Education with funding provided by the West Virginia Legislature.
Contact Information - Email: networth@wvsto.com
Phone: 800-422-7498 Ext. 6575
Initiative Coordinators:
WVSTO
- Linda Hawkins, Director of School Financial Education Programs
- Lynn Bennett, NetWorth Program Manager
- Nancy Francis, Financial Education Program Specialist
WVDE
- Carla Williamson, Executive Director, Office of Instruction
- Regina Scotchie, Coordinator, Social Studies
- Lou Maynus, Coordinator, Mathematics
- Barbara Ashcraft, Coordinator, School Counseling