Texas Border Business
SAN JUAN – The results are in! Students in Mr. Michael Sweet’s class at Carman Elementary in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD were honored last Friday, Jan. 10 as the 1st place investors in the Legislative Challenge state competition of the Stock Market Game. In the Legislative Challenge, schools from across Texas are recruited to represent their legislative and school board districts in this statewide competition.
Representing Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr., team members from Carman Elementary increased the value of their $100,000 online virtual investment account by over $14,884 in just 10 weeks. Dr. Alberto Davila, Director of the UT-Pan American Neuhaus Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Education, presented a $75 award to each team member in recognition of their outstanding performance.
Their teacher received a plaque as group sponsor. Also in attendance on behalf of Senator Lucio was Blanca Villalpando who awarded the certificates of achievement to the students.
The Stock Market Game Program is a national program of the SIFMA Foundation, offered statewide by the Texas Council on Economic Education. It is the nation’s first and largest educational investment simulation program. It is widely used in grades 4-12 to teach students about investing and personal finance as they apply math, social studies, business, economics and language skills.
Each team of students is given a hypothetical $100,000 to “invest” in stocks, bonds or mutual funds over a 10-week period in their own online trading account. They research companies and make decisions on where to invest their virtual money. Teams with the greatest increase in the value of their investments are recognized.
An independent study by Learning Point Associates found that students who participated in the Stock Market Game scored significantly higher on mathematics and financial literacy tests than their peers who did not participate.
They also found that teachers who taught the Stock Market Game reported the program motivated them to better plan for their future and to engage in financial planning, research, and use of investment products and services.
The Stock Market Game has been named the only program that successfully increased scores on the Jumpstart Coalition’s test of high school students’ financial literacy.
Texas Council on Economic Education. Recently passed legislation requires that specific concepts of personal finance be taught to all Texas students. The Texas Council on Economic Education (TCEE), a 501(c)(3), has assumed a leadership role in supporting schools as they work to meet this requirement. TCEE provides professional development opportunities for teachers in the areas of economics, personal financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and investor education. The Stock Market Game™ simulation is just one example of the personal financial literacy programs that the Texas Council on Economic Education provides students across Texas.
The SIFMA Foundation is dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of the financial markets for individuals of all backgrounds. Drawing on the support and expertise of the financial industry, the SIFMA Foundation provides financial education programs and tools that strengthen economic opportunities across communities and increase individuals’ access to the benefits of the global marketplace. Notable Foundation programs include The Stock Market Game, which has enabled more than 13 million students become financially literate, the InvestWrite national essay competition (www.investwrite.org), and the Capitol Hill Challenge. For more information on the SIFMA Foundation, visit www.sifma.org/foundation.
All rights reserved.
