The features and effectiveness of the Keys to Financial Success curriculum

The global financial crisis of 2007–2009 generated a renewed interest in including personal finance in the secondary curriculum in the United States and in many countries around the world. This paper explains the features of a successful and unique high school personal finance curriculum, Keys to Financial Success, which is offered by a consortium of partners in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and is available to teachers from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Using the Financial Fitness for Life High School Test (FFFL-HS Test), pre- and posttest results are reported for 967 students who participated in a one-semester Keys course during the 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 academic years. The survey results indicate that the training of teachers in the Keys curriculum, and the implementation of a one-semester Keys course, significantly improve the average personal finance knowledge of students in each of the standards and concept areas of the FFFL-HS Test. These results contribute to the growing literature showing the positive effects of a well-designed personal finance course, taught by properly trained teachers, on the financial knowledge of high school students, and should be of interest to an international audience.