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Education
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Education
Smart Path
Research
Center Researchers' Holiday Spending Forecast for Ohio
Center interim Co-Director Brad Evans was interviewed by WOSU Public Media in Columbus about our research team’s forecast for holiday spending in Ohio, conducted on behalf of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. Click below to listen.
First Quarter StEP Stores Staged All Across the Tristate
In October, a whirlwind of StEP stores swept through Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. Our incredible army of loyal, kind StEP volunteers came out in huge numbers, ensuring the stores ran like well-oiled machines.
StEP is a lot more than stores staged in a school library or auditorium; it’s a gateway to new possibilities. StEP empowers children with choices, enabling them to decide what to do with their hard-earned StEP bucks. They can splurge on something special, watch their savings grow (we pay interest!), or contribute to their school’s chosen charity, making a real impact on their community. From quarter to quarter and year to year in StEP, our volunteers and hardworking StEP team get to see the kids mature and learn these lifelong lessons.
Highlights from Our StEP Stores (Thanks to our volunteers!)
Professional Development Workshop at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati
A big group of educators took part in a special professional development workshop at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati in October. Amidst the displays of beautiful and fascinating vintage signs, the teachers got a tour of the museum and participated in a fun, hands-on lesson about inflation. The educators left energized about bringing economics into their classrooms, and armed with engaging lesson plans to share with their students.
The workshop was presented by our Alpaugh Scholars, and made possible by the Alpaugh Family Foundation.
Susan Sargen Student Enterprise Program (StEP) Kicks Off For the 2023-2024 School Year
We rely on a huge army of volunteers to bring StEP to thousands of Tristate students each year. Are you interested in volunteering for StEP? CLICK HERE for more details and registration!
$martPath Puppet Video Series Wins Another Regional Emmy, Is Finalist For A Public Media Award
We’re proud to share that the latest set of $martPath puppet music videos, starring Sesame Street puppeteer Megan Piphus and funk legend Bootsy Collins, have won a FOURTH regional Emmy!
The $martPath video series has also been named as a finalist for a Public Media Award. The previous set of videos was named as a finalist for this award, too (though we ultimately lost out that time to documentary filmmaker Ken Burns).
We’re grateful for all of the hard work by the creative team at WCET, led by producer Colin Scianamblo, and our partners in this latest round of puppet videos, the Georgia Council on Economic Education and Georgia Public Broadcasting.
$martPath Now Includes Spanish-Language Content!
The Alpaugh Family Economics Center is committed to making its award-winning and free online financial education program, $martPath, truly inclusive.
In the United States alone, nearly 43 million people speak Spanish as their first language. To meet the needs of students who may still be learning
English, we have now translated many of the student-facing portions of $martPath into Spanish.
To use the Spanish side of $martPath, teachers or parents will need to create an account that can be set to Spanish. Teachers with both English and Spanish-speaking students will want to have two separate accounts, one set to each language.
To learn more about using $martPath in Spanish or any of the rest of the $martPath learning platform, CLICK HERE.
Center Researchers Work to Measure the Economic Impact of Black-Owned Businesses in Greater Columbus
UC Economics Center researchers are now conducting a survey of Black-owned businesses in the Columbus region, on behalf of the Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity. The purpose of the study is to measure the economic impact of those businesses on the region. A similar project done on behalf of the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) surveyed Black-owned businesses throughout Southwest Ohio. Our researchers found that the economic impact of Black-owned businesses on the Southwest Ohio region totals more than $2.1 billion dollars.
Celebrating a Successful Market Madness 2023!
More than 1,400 local elementary and middle school students converged on Fifth Third Arena in early May for Market Madness 2023! We were astounded by the creativity of the students’ products, the booth staging, and their marketing strategies in the middle of the sales floor. Our Market Madness schools included Amity Elementary, C.O. Harrison Elementary, Cherokee Elementary, Endeavor Elementary, Evendale Elementary, Goshen Middle School, Hays-Porter School, Kilgour Elementary, Midway School, Hyde Park School, and Glendale Elementary.
Congratulations to our Market Madness winners: Glendale Elementary for Best Customer Service, Kilgour Elementary for Best Marketing, Evendale Elementary for Most Innovative Product, and Midway School for our People’s Choice award!
We’d also like to thank all of the students and teachers who participated in Market Madness, as well as the small army of volunteers who kept this crowded, busy, fun event running smoothly!
Check Out Some of the News Coverage of Market Madness!
Watch our 2023 Annual Awards Program
On April 6th, 300+ Center supporters gathered at the First Financial Club inside TQL Stadium for the Center’s 2023 Annual Awards! We honored local educators, volunteers, and community organizations for their commitment to financial education and economic research. Thanks to FC Cincinnati Co-CEO Jeff Berding for delivering an inspiring keynote, and a special thanks to our very generous sponsors! Your donations make it possible to bring financial and economic education to thousands of students through our Susan Sargen Student Enterprise Program (StEP), and to millions of students worldwide through our $martPath online learning platform at smartpathlearning.com.
On behalf of The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce (AACC), the Center’s research team released the results of its study, “The Economic Impact of Black-owned Businesses in Southwest Ohio Communities.” Our analysis found the economic impact of Black-owned businesses on our region totals more than $2.1 billion dollars. The impact of Black-owned Businesses in Southwest Ohio communities is responsible for directly employing 5,914 people with more than $306 million in earnings throughout the Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
In 2021, on behalf of the AACC, the Center’s research team conducted the first study of its kinds in the nation that quantified the economic impact of Black businesses, setting a benchmark for this analysis.
With the right information, you make better choices. We empower students with high-quality financial education, and provide research clients with the data analysis they need to drive decision-making.
participate in StEP Program every year
have used $martPath
over the past decade
YOUR SUPPORTat Work
| $15 | supports one child for an entire year of learning in our StEP program |
|---|---|
| $50 | pays for two student teams to participate in the Stock Market Game |
| $100 | covers the cost of economic and financial education lessons and materials for one classroom |
| $500 | pays for a teacher to attend professional development sessions to learn how to integrate economics into the classroom |
| $5000 | provides the materials for one elementary school to participate in our StEP program for an entire year |
We’ve been in service to educators for more than 40 years, providing them with high-quality workshops, book clubs and more.
Looking for some fun, bite-sized financial literacy? We’ve created a new video series, featuring some of your favorite puppet characters from our original, Emmy-winning $martPath videos. Our new $martPath Snacks videos are short, but just as engaging, and they also deliver early money concepts to an audience of younger children.
See them yourself by clicking the button below. And please subscribe while you’re there!
Centering Black Women’s Upward Mobility in the Cincinnati Region
“The economy isn’t equal for everyone”. That’s how our research team led off its presentation on the findings of our work on behalf of The Women’s Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation to assess Black women’s economic mobility in our region.
Through their analysis, Center researchers found that in 2018, Black women held 10% of jobs in the five lowest-earning occupation groups, but less than three percent of jobs in the five highest-earnings occupation groups.
