Welcome to the Center for Economic Education

Mission Statement Heading link

The mission of the UIC Center for Economic Education is to promote high quality teaching of Economics and Consumer Economics at all levels of schooling (K-12 and college) in the State of Illinois. It does this by providing training in Economic Education for current and prospective teachers of Economics and Consumer Economics, and through research in this field.

Students should become:

  • Knowledgeable about the basic functioning of the economy;
  • Responsible citizens;
  • Savvy consumers;
  • Prudent savers and investors;
  • Effective participants in the global economy;
  • Competent decision-makers throughout their lives.

What We Do Heading link

The Center offers teachers, school districts, and community organizations the curriculum resources and training to teach the fundamental concepts and skills needed to understand and succeed in our market economy. We are part of the Econ Illinois and the Council for Economic Education, a network of educators that is recognized across the country as the premier provider of economic education professional development programs for teachers, curriculum consulting, curriculum materials, and student economic education programs. Our programs integrate the teaching of economics (including consumer economics) throughout the curriculum. We also offer training in economics courses and in providing economics and financial literacy programs, helping schools develop a comprehensive curriculum for economics.

The UIC Center for Economic Education is involved in:

  • Setting standards: what every student should know about economics.
  • Training teachers: workshops and courses to improve student learning.
  • Developing curriculum: comprehensive programs from kindergarten through 12th grade.
  • Producing materials: guides and books containing proven strategies for teaching economics.
  • Evaluating results: instruments for assessing student performance.

The AtLAS Winter 2011 issue features an article about the UIC Economics Department’s Center for Economic Education. The article provides examples of the programs of the Center for Economic Education, such as professional development for K-12 teachers in financial literacy and how to use tools like the Stock Market Game and the Economics Poster Contest to develop economic and financial literacy in their students.