Purdue workshop encourages teachers to focus on fiscal responsibility in the classroom

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A workshop on June 26 featuring State Rep. Sheila Klinker will help middle and high school teachers incorporate into their curriculum the complex issues surrounding fiscal responsibility, such as the federal budget and national debt.

The full-day professional development event, hosted by the Purdue Center for Economic Education, was open to economics, government, history, public affairs and current events teachers. Participants receive a $50 stipend, lunch, lesson plan ideas and expert instruction from Emily Vanderwall, a local middle school teacher and the center’s award-winning teacher advocate.

During the workshop, teachers learned new, interactive ways to teach students critical thinking skills through current policy issues, including the budget deficit, national security and Social Security, among others.

“Those topics are ones that people are not extremely well-versed in,” said David Perkis, director of the Purdue Center for Economic Education. “The workshop is really about giving teachers the tools to teach students about fiscal responsibility so they can make informed decisions as citizens, consumers, and voters.”

Klinker, a Democrat representing Indiana’s District 27, taught at the Lafayette School Corp. for more than 34 years before being elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1982. Vanderwall is a middle school teacher at Lafayette Christian School.

The workshop was made possible through support from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and the Council for Economic Education at Purdue University.

Writer: Joseph Paul, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu 

Source: David Perkis, perkis@purdue.edu