SFUSD is First District in California to Receive New Grant for Financial Literacy Curriculum

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Current Economic Conditions Demonstrate Importance of Teaching Financial Literacy in Schools

San Francisco (March 24, 2023) - The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is the first district in the state of California to apply for and receive a California Access to Financial Education Grant (CAFE) grant, which will allow its educators to fully integrate financial literacy curriculum in high schools. The grant is offered in partnership between State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and the nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF) to support teachers in California high schools to deliver financial literacy courses.

SFUSD will be awarded the $130,000 grant amount over the next three school years. The grant will be used to provide professional development to SFUSD high school teachers, enabling them to integrate personal finance curriculum by NGPF into their courses. The curriculum includes relevant topics around savings, budgeting, paying for college, taxes and investing. Some of the curriculum is currently used in some SFUSD math and economics courses and can now be adapted into semester or year long Personal Finance elective classes. 

The personal finance lessons will also be integrated into the College and Career curriculum district wide and utilized by AVID (Advance via Individual Determination) teachers throughout 9th -12th grades. Through the grant, SFUSD’s AVID team has added a Personal Finance Specialist, who is connecting and working closely with teachers to introduce and train them on the NGPF curriculum.

“The need to provide financial literacy is pertinent in today’s times, especially for students and families who are historically further from opportunity,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne. “The new personal finance curriculum and programs like AVID contribute to one of SFUSD’s long-term goals of ensuring students are college- and career-ready by the time they graduate.” 

SFUSD’s AVID program is in 18 middle and high schools and serves approximately 2,000 students annually. Over 50 SFUSD educators will be attending three days of professional development at the AVID Summer Institute in Denver this June.

In SFUSD, AVID is an elective class available to students in grades 6-12. Academic reading, writing, inquiry, organization and collaboration skills are a main focus of the AVID curriculum, which propels students to be more ready for rigorous courses, high school, college and career. An addition to the AVID Elective course, the AVID Excel course is a class offered to 7th and 8th graders and is designed for students who have been designated as Long-Term English Language Learners. The goal of the AVID Excel class is to help students increase their English reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in order to access the rigorous content of middle and high school courses. Additionally, AVID Excel teaches high school and college readiness skills.

AVID is a national organization that supports a schoolwide framework impacting all students to be college and career ready through training core subject teachers with academic and engagement strategies for the classrooms. AVID is currently in about 8,000 schools nationwide.

All AVID teachers attend training and choose to return year after year to continue to hone their teaching practice and toolkits. AVID Elective, AVID Excel and content teachers are trained in AVID methodology and strategies, with continuing professional development and alignment through opportunities provided by SFUSD’s AVID Office.

In 2021-2022:

  • 61% of AVID students identified as socio-economically disadvantaged
  • 69% of students identified as first-generation college bound
  • 94% of students completed four-year California college entrance requirements
  • 92% completed a financial aid application, the FAFSA or CA Dream Act 
  • 32% completed a college course while in high school
  • 93% applied to a four-year university

For more information about AVID in SFUSD, visit sfusd.edu/avid.

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