Financial and economic education is facing an uphill battle in Washington State. The Washington Economics Symposium is your chance to help address this.
With the recent failure of HB 1915, which would have made financial education a prerequisite for high school graduation, this conference aims to bridge the financial and economic training gap in our educational system.
Join educators, business leaders, and government officials to tackle pressing economic issues and attend workshops with hands-on instructional resources to advance economic and financial literacy in Washington.
GENERAL SESSION
What You've Learned About Monetary Policy is Wrong
The way the Fed implements monetary policy has changed. The Fed moved from a limited reserves regime, where they used money supply tools such as open market operations to adjust the federal funds rate and the broader economy, to an ample reserves regime with new monetary policy tools. Given that this new regime is here to stay, it’s important that educators (and the public) know about the changes. In this session, Scott Wolla will provide an overview of new framework and tools, offer teaching suggestions and resources, and answer key questions.
TRACK 1
Teacher Workshop: Micro Topics - Trade & Minimum Wage
This session will feature two active learning microeconomics lessons that will engage your students and are easy to implement. First, you’ll participate in a trading activity that provides foundational understanding about trade – it’s a great activity for the beginning of the semester. Then, we’ll ask, “would increasing the minimum wage reduce poverty?” and lay the groundwork for a classroom debate on the topic. Through the debate process, students will think critically, make evidence-based arguments, and realize that there are often two well-reasoned sides to most issues.
TRACK 2
Antiwork: How a Savvy, Angry Generation is Rebelling Against YOUR Company
This session will explore the most popular and consistent themes of the growing "antiwork" movement. How it began, where it is today, and how it directly impacts your future ‐ and existing ‐ workforce. Session objectives include: help executives, leaders, and managers identify the ways they unwittingly contribute to the antiwork mindset; examine the cost of workers who are disengaged…or worse; discussion on how to avoid job posting phrases that will get you flamed; explain how to have a productive conversation with a savvy millennial or Gen Z employee without corpo‐speak.
LUNCH SESSION
Washington Workforce and Industry Trends
For most, employment is the primary way we access resources and financial stability. It is an instrumental gateway into other economic markets. Employment also affords dignity and contributes to our individual identities and affects how we show up in and for our communities. The labor market is also diverse, complex, and constantly changing. This presentation will focus on some of the industry trends and overall employment outlook in Washington.
TRACK 1
Teacher Workshop: Macro Topics - Unemployment & GDP
This session will feature two active learning macroeconomics lessons that will engage your students and are easy to implement. First, we’ll use a simple, but engaging, activity to show students how the unemployment rate is calculated. Then, you’ll participate in an active learning demonstration of the GDP expenditure equation to understand the relationships among the variables and the effect of changes in aggregate spending on GDP, with special attention given to how imports affect GDP.
TRACK 2
Legislative Advocacy: Organizing & the Power of Stakeholder Engagement to Push Policy Change
We are at a crucial moment in history when major policy decisions that impact our everyday lives are being considered at every level of government. This session will cover how we can build advocacy through stakeholder engagement to push policy change such as comprehensive financial education.
TRACK 1
Using Data to Address the Diverse Needs of All Students in Financial Education
Learn about the Financial Education Public-Private Partnership’s (FEPPP) approach designed to meet the needs of students from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. In this presentation, Miladys Garcia will share data pertaining to barriers impacting underserved students’ academic and financial outcomes. Focusing on instructional materials that reflect the real-life experiences of all students, FEPPP’s inclusive strategy supports all students regardless of race, income or ability achieve financial success.
TRACK 1
Developing Economic Literacy Through Active Learning
Research suggests that the average adult makes over 30,000 discrete choices each day. Given that economics is connected to every one of those decisions, economic literacy is an essential life skill! Econiful is a nonprofit that offers a wealth of free resources to support economic educators. Join Megan Kirts to learn how you can empower your students with economic literacy using research-based teaching strategies.
GENERAL SESSION & CLOSE
Washington's Workforce Needs
We'll close with a session on Washington's workforce needs and the career opportunities that financial and economic literacy can open up. We'll talk about the evolving job market, identify key skills in demand, and share how a strong foundation in financial and economic literacy can pave the way to thriving careers in finance, business, technology, and more.
Pre-service teachers * In-service teachers * Professors * Government Officials * Policymakers * Financial Industry Leaders
The day includes general sessions as well as two deep-dive tracks for:
(1) K-12 educators, featuring educational sessions with 5.5 STEM clock hours and ready-made lessons
(2) business/government leaders, featuring a diverse panel of speakers with insights on Washington’s economy, the anti-work movement, education policy, and workforce issues.
All ticket fees include 5.5 STEM Clock hours, educational sessions, breakfast, lunch and networking reception.
Students and Pre-service Educators - $25
In-service Educators - $50
All Others - $75
All registration fees go to the Washington Council for Economic and Financial Education, which funds professional development for K-12 educators focused on teaching economics and personal finance.
