PRINTER'S NO. 8
No. 19 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY STAIRS, ARGALL, BAKER, BENNINGHOFF, BOYD, CALTAGIRONE, CAUSER, COHEN, COX, DALEY, DALLY, FAIRCHILD, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARPER, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS, JAMES, KILLION, KULA, LEACH, MAJOR, MARKOSEK, MARSICO, McILHATTAN, MELIO, R. MILLER, MUNDY, MURT, MUSTIO, PHILLIPS, RAPP, READSHAW, REED, REICHLEY, ROHRER, ROSS, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, SONNEY, STABACK, SWANGER, VULAKOVICH, WALKO, WATSON, WHEATLEY AND GINGRICH, JANUARY 29, 2007
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, JANUARY 29, 2007
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1 Recognizing February 2007 as "Economic Literacy Month" in 2 Pennsylvania. 3 WHEREAS, Young people should understand our economic system 4 to perform effectively as workers, consumers, savers and 5 citizens in the global economy; and 6 WHEREAS, In turn, the economy of this Commonwealth depends on 7 economically literate, educated citizens to maintain its 8 competitive edge; and 9 WHEREAS, The need for economic education can be seen in the 10 results of a recent Harris Interactive Poll surveying 1,000 11 adults and 1,000 high school pupils nationwide; and 12 WHEREAS, While those persons polled were nearly unanimous in 13 their belief that basic economics should be taught in high 14 school, both pupils and adults lack a fundamental understanding
1 of scarcity, money and inflation, with less than half of the 2 participants demonstrating knowledge of these concepts; and 3 WHEREAS, EconomicsPennsylvania worked with the State Board of 4 Education to create standards in economics which promote 5 economic reasoning and an understanding of the United States 6 economy in a global setting; and 7 WHEREAS, New Pennsylvania Standards in Economics were adopted 8 by the State Board of Education in January 2003, describing what 9 students should know and be able to do at four grade levels 10 (third, sixth, ninth and twelfth); and 11 WHEREAS, With the adoption of the 2003 Pennsylvania Standards 12 in Economics, the skills related to economic literacy now play a 13 greater role in the entire curriculum since the economics strand 14 runs through the kindergarten through grade 12 classrooms; and 15 WHEREAS, EconomicsPennsylvania maintains 15 centers for 16 economic education in colleges and universities in this 17 Commonwealth, using an interdisciplinary approach to help 18 teachers implement the new standards across the curriculum; and 19 WHEREAS, The development and implementation of Pennsylvania 20 Standards in Economics will help Pennsylvania students evaluate 21 major decisions which will affect them for the rest of their 22 lives, including issues related to careers, teen marriage and 23 pregnancy, school versus work and retirement, all of which will 24 make them more effective participants in the global economy; 25 therefore be it 26 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly 27 recognize February 2007 as "Economic Literacy Month" in 28 Pennsylvania. L4L82VDL/20070H0019R0008 - 2 -