[Type text]

100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance

RANKINGS ANNOUNCED

•Second annual event marks the 11th anniversary of the national Working in Support of Education (w!se) Financial Literacy Certification Program

•Passaic County Technical Institute of Wayne, N.J. ranked No.1

•Students from the top ranked schools attend ceremony hosted by the New York Stock Exchange

•w!se Certification Program offered in 34 states

•Average passing rate was 79 percent in 2013 for all participating schools

NEW YORK – April 7, 2014–Working in Support of Education (w!se), a leading New York City based educational not-for-profit, today announced the winners of the second annual “100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance” during a ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.

The release of the rankings marks the 11th anniversary of the w!se Financial Literacy Certification Program. The award-winning program provides teachers with a curriculum and instructional resources to teach personal finance and to measure student knowledge through the w!se standardized Certification Test. Students passing the test are designated Certified Financially Literate™, which shows that they are financially capable when they graduate. Since its introduction, the program has become integral to personal finance instruction in thousands of classrooms across the United States and is now offered in 34 states.

The 100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance recognizes the top performing high schools in w!se’s national network.

The No.1 ranked school is Passaic County Technical Institute of Wayne, N.J. Other high schools among the top 30 are situated in Idaho, Utah, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, Nebraska, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, South Carolinaand New YorkState.

The schools were honored with banners as well as a trophy for the No. 1 ranked school at a ceremony with speakers including:

-Duncan Niederauer, CEO, NYSE Euronext, and President, IntercontinentalExchange Group;

-Bruce Kasman, Chief Economist, Managing Director and Head of Economic Research, JPMorgan Chase; and

-Sharon Epperson, Personal Finance Correspondent and Senior Commodities Correspondent, CNBC.

The fastest growing age group declaring bankruptcy is young adults, ages 19 to 25. The 100 Best w!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance ranking seeks to shine the spotlight on the importance of personal finance education. Only 17 states require personal finance instruction in high school. Four states added the requirement forthe first time in the past year.The level of financial literacy is particularly acute among people with no post-secondary education and with incomes below $25,000. According to the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, Hispanics and African Americans, who are disproportionately represented in these education and income segments, are especially vulnerable.Retirement readiness is also a major issue. According to the Investment Company Institute,the average balance in U.S.401k retirement plans is $60,000.

“We created the Financial Literacy Certification Program to address the chronic lack of financial literacy among young people,” said Phyllis Frankfort, President & CEO of w!se. “It is imperative that all students receive personal financial education before they graduate high school, so they have the knowledge and skills to help break the cycle of poverty, make wise financial decisions and be on a path to financial wellbeing.”

The second through fifth place schools in the 2014 “100 Best” ranking include New York City’s High School for Math, Science & Engineering at City College; Aviation High School in Long Island City, N.Y; Lake City High School, Coeur d’Alene, ID; Utah County Academy of Sciences, Orem, UT; and Itineris Early College High School, West Jordan, UT.

S'Coy Carter, a student at Galileo High School in Danville, Va., said: "Before taking the finance class and understanding the value of saving and planning for the future, I would spend every dime I had on useless items. Now I have my own bank account that I am working on building up. I am so glad that I took the class." GalileoHigh School is No. 13 on the 2014 list, which is included below as an appendix.

w!se determined the ranking with support from an Advisory Board comprising experts from academia and finance. The predominant factor was the average score on the Financial Literacy Certification Test with consideration given to eligibility for free lunch and the proportion of test takers to the school population.

The Financial Literacy Certification Program now includes more than 3million hours of instruction in participating high schools annually. The average passing rate was 79 percent in 2013 for students at schools participatingin the certification program. All schools participating in the Financial Literacy Certification Programhave an opportunity to earn a place on the “100 Best” list each year.

For more information about w!se, contact info(at)wise-ny(dot)org, or visit the program website for the most recent program news and updates.

About Working In Support of Education (w!se)

Working In Support of Education (w!se) is a national not-for-profit dedicated to improving the lives of young people through programs that develop financial literacy and readiness for college and the workforce. Our Initiatives are built on five pillars – relevancy, real world experiences, strong partnerships, volunteerism, and evaluation. The standardized w!se Financial Literacy Certification Test is administered by schools participating in the Financial Literacy Certification Program to measure knowledge, skills and behavioral changes in students after a unit or course on personal finance.

Media Contacts:

Brian Scios

Working in Support of Education (w!se)

+1 212-421-2700

Jon Lowe

RLM Finsbury

+1 646 805 2000


###

Page 1 of 3