Friday
December 14, 2007
Memorial Union
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island
Up to 7 CEU Credit Hours Approved by RIDE
Free of Charge for educators
Continental breakfast & lunch provided
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The word 'beat' was primarily in use after World War II by jazz musicians. The discovery of the word 'beat' was essential to the formation of a sense of self-definition among the earliest writers making up the cluster that would later call itself members of a 'Beat Generation'.
The bop form of jazz championed by Charlie Parker and others was one of the biggest influences on many of the Beats; in fact, the horn-rimmed glasses, goatee, and beret sported by the stereotypical beatnik was derived from the fashion of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.
Reporters (beat generation or not) are invited to attend this conference; discovering and covering the strong beat (more akin to that of a drum in this usage) for youth financial education in Rhode Island.
If you are a reporter and would like attend the conference, please notify Jim Hedemark as indicated below. For background on the Financial $marts for Students educator conference or youth financial education in Rhode Island in general, please contact Jim Hedemark at 401.385.9411 or director@rijumpstart.com.
Recent Media Releases:
For Immediate Release
11/11/07
RI Senator Issa, Bank of America and Others Match Grant
November 8, 2007 - The Rhode Island Jump$tart Coalition was notified of a $10,000 award of federal funding to support its Financial $marts for Students Educator Conference to take place at the Kingston Campus of the University of Rhode Island on December 14th, 2007. United States Senator Jack Reed supported the Coalition’s application.
Rhode Island middle and high school educators who teach or are interested in teaching personal finance in their classrooms are encouraged to register at the conference website, www.rijumpstart.com as soon as possible as attendance is limited to one hundred. The conference will feature expert speakers on topics including; credit myths and facts, goals based budgeting, wealth building, available curricula and student programs.
The National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) has awarded the Coalition matching funds through their administration of the Excellence in Economic Education (EEE) Act award via the U.S. Department of Education. Congress authorized the Excellence in Economic Education (EEE) Act (20 USC 7267) as a part of the landmark No Child Left Behind Act.
In an October 4, 2007 letter to the NCEE, Senator Reed stated, “The goal is for these educators to bring both knowledge and materials back to the classroom, ultimately resulting in better financial decisions by high school students as they enter the real world.”
A requirement of the grant is that matching funds be dedicated by local funding sources. Bank of America ($5,000), the Rhode Island Senate ($4,000) through a grant sponsored by RI Senator Daniel J. Issa, the University of Rhode Island Center for Personal Financial Education ($2,000), the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority ($1,000), the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals AFL-CIO ($500), and the National Endowment for Financial Education ($330) have combined to meet the local matching funds requirement.
Coalition Executive Director, Jim Hedemark gratefully acknowledges this funding support; “Senator Reed has once again gone to bat and produced results for our teachers and teenagers in the area of personal financial education. Additionally, Rhode Island Senator Issa, Bank of America and others have matched federal funds allowing the Jump$tart Coalition to offer one-hundred middle and high school educators a free full day of personal financial education training.”
RI Senator Daniel Issa commented on the importance of youth financial education; “Financial literacy – which means more than just knowing how to balance a checkbook – is a vital step toward ensuring the well-being of our youth as they move into adulthood.”
Rhode Island Bank of America President, Bill Hatfield states, “Bank of America is proud to support and promote this conference as we place high value on the work of our local educators. Their dedication to providing our students with personal financial skills and knowledge is inspiring. We join in their commitment to increasing personal financial literacy in the Ocean State and in every market where we do business.”
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The Rhode Island Jump$tart Coalition (founded in 2004) is an coalition of dozens of Ocean State and New England region businesses, community organizations, educational institutions, government agencies and officers. The coalitionıs mission is “to increase the financial literacy of individuals in Rhode Island.” The coalitionıs website is www.rijumpstart.org
In 2006, for the first time, Rhode Island high school seniors participated in the national Jump$tart Coalition personal financial literacy survey that measures teenagersı knowledge of personal financial literacy topics. Rhode Island high school seniors answered 48.8% of the questions correctly. The national average was 52.4%. For more details on the national survey, please see http://www.rijumpstart.org/pressrelease.cfm
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