Implementing Economics Standards: A Pilot Transition Program

Most states have adopted high school economics standards, but implementation efforts face two hurdles: evidence indicates that five or six college-level economics courses are needed for high school economics teachers and that standalone high school economics classes are more effective than strategies that infuse economics into history or civics classes. The authors developed a pilot program to test whether solid results could be achieved by partial solutions to these problems. The pilot program focused on a self-contained, nine-week economics module that was included in a required one-year civics class. Teacher training was condensed, but the training included discussion of teaching strategies along with economics content, and the pilot-program teachers were funded to design the module themselves. Test scores for the pilot-program students increased significantly, indicating that this program is a viable transition strategy.