Localizing The Curriculum in an Urban Middle School Economics Class by Daniel C Kraiza A MASTER S PROJECT for ED 7999 Submitted to the Graduate School of Wayne State University Detroit Michigan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION AUGUST 2005 MAJOR SOCIAL STUDIES Approved By Dr Pettapiece Date TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT The Situation The Need Significance of the Study Population Sample Summary 1 1 1 2 2 2 CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Introduction Theory Suggested Approaches Summary 3 3 4 5 7 CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY Introduction Hypotheses Population Sample Description of the Project Timeline Data Collection Summary 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 CHAPTER FOUR Introduction Hypothesis 1 Hypothesis 2 Summary 11 11 12 13 14 FINDINGS CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Introduction Conclusions Recommendations Personal Reflections 15 15 15 15 16 REFERENCES 18 APPENDIX A Pre test and Posttest 19 20 APPENDIX B Test Results 25 26 APPENDIX C Attendance Record 27 28 ii 2 Chapter One Introduction to the Project The Situation Economics is one of the 10 core subjects in the No Child Left Behind Act This subject can be abstract for middle school students Tailoring the curriculum and using real world examples creates authentic learning to help the students to better understand the subject which can in turn provide a foundation of financial literacy that can help prevent younger people from making poor decisions that can take years to overcome Morton 2005 p 66 The Need Economics education is important in U S schools In today s highly complex financial world many Americans are finding it difficult to manage their credit debt and other areas of personal finances It is the job of educators to provide students with the basic foundation of understanding economics Greenspan 2005 Since the subject of economics is so important in becoming a productive citizen of society it is a good idea to begin learning it at an early stage such as middle school By this age students are beginning to see the world around them and understand how the economy works This subject can provide the student with the building blocks to becoming financially sound It is the job of the teacher to guide students and provide them with the basics so that they will recognize economic concepts and make sound decisions based on what they have learned 3 Localizing the curriculum helps to reach the students by breaking down economic concepts into manageable culturally relevant pieces For example many economic textbooks use the term widgets Instead of using widgets a localized curriculum would use air brush t shirts a current fad in the urban setting to illustrate the concept of supply and demand Significance of the Study This project is significant in that it may demonstrate by localizing the curriculum student achievement rates may increase Using a curriculum that is localized by using neighborhood and culturally relevant examples could play a positive role in getting and keeping students more interested in the subject matter thus retain knowledge better Population Sample The student population is an 8th grade civics and economics class in an urban public middle school with 28 students 13 boys and 15 girls 25 black students and 3 Asians The class was created to improve standardized test scores in social studies The class was the last period of a six hour school day Summary This project is to test that by localizing the curriculum student achievement and attendance will improve The class is a civics and economics course with a focus on economics This project will in turn help to better prepare the students for adult life since they will have an understanding of the world they will be living in 4 Chapter Two Review of Related Literature Introduction This chapter contains a review of literature related to the importance of economics in the U S and why it is important to middle school age students It covers the areas of practical techniques and the benefits of economic education According to Alan Greenspan chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System the world is a changing place in the realm of economics and financial education Credit is much more widely available today but understanding how it works is unclear to younger generations Technology has changed greatly and consumers need to familiarize themselves with the changes In addressing such concerns educators need to focus directly on providing youth with a foundation for understanding personal financial management 2005 p 64 The financial state of Americans and their economic knowledge today is very weak and needs improvement According to the Greenspan 2005 disposable income rose by 47 percent while spending rose by 61 percent in the eight years between 1992 and 2000 Half of all adults have not started saving for retirement and the same amount are living paycheck to paycheck Also many people s credit card balances are larger than their 401 k accounts Alan Greenspan stated In the long run better basic education at home and at the elementary and secondary level will provide the foundation for a lifetime of learning We must also be alert to the need to improve the skills and earning power of those who appear to be falling behind p 65 The need for financial and economic 5 literacy education needs to begin while students are in school the earlier the better Suiter Meszaros 2005 The foundation for understanding financial management according to Gallavan Davis 1999 is an understanding of the basic principles of economics They explain that the best time to teach it is in middle school At this particular age students use their previous knowledge in building upon and understanding new knowledge to develop independence and how and why this matters to them By this age students are beginning to understand how the economic system works and using authentic learning techniques can greatly help the students to become better consumers in the future Theory Economics education can help prepare our students for a life of financial security Many states are not requiring economic and personal finance education even though the No Child Left Behind law has included economics as one of its core subjects Alan Greenspan states the importance of basic financial skills underscores the need to begin the learning process as early as possible 2005 p 65 Morton 2005 feels that by improving financial