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Or egon Council on Economic Education

www .econor egon.or g

supports teachers through training and access to the Financial Foundations curriculum
which offers three units: personal finance, investing and portfolio management, and entre-
preneurship. Invest in Girls also offers opportunities for industry professionals to volunteer
as mentors and role models. Funding for Invest in Girls will be used to pay teacher sti-
pends for devoting additional time outside of normal classes to provide.

Academic Competitions & Games

OCEE administers two academic competitions:

the National Economics Challenge (NEC) and
National Personal Finance Challenge (NPFC).
These quiz-bowl style competitions are held
each spring. Students from across Oregon
compete in teams of 3 or 4 for the state title,
and a chance to compete at the national level
against the champions from other states. The
2023 Oregon champions are once again from
Lake Oswego High School (pictured here). Funding for these competitions would help to
pay for registration, awards and incentives for the teachers and students, and to help them
travel to the national competition when required.

OCEE has promoted instructional use of The Stock Market Game (SMG) for many years.
There is a robust curriculum built up around this real-time, virtual trading simulator. Teams
are given $100,000 to fund a virtual stock portfolio that uses actual New York Stock
Exchange and NASDAQ securities in a full school year, or 10-week spring and fall com-
petitions. Students and teachers can compare their results to peers across the country
which motivates them to learn and improve. The game gives students the opportunity to
make the connection between national and world headlines and the ebb-and-flow of
fortunes in the stock market. Additionally, the simulation helps demystify the nuances of
investing in securities and hopefully encourages them to understand the importance of

saving and investing for their future. Teachers from across Oregon can use the SMG to
enhance lessons on economics, math, business, social studies, and writing. We have also
had volunteers and board members use the game to teach in after-school programs at the
Boys & Girls Clubs in underserved neighborhoods in the Portland area. Funding for The
Stock Market Game helps OCEE to pay for registration fees and awards and offer
access for all participants free of charge.

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