Founded in 1974
Mission
The H.K. Barker Center for Economic Education prepares and supports the teaching and learning of economics in grades K-16. Priority areas for programming include the areas of financial literacy, entrepreneurship education, and global economic education. Our goal is to educate as many educators as possible so they can bring high quality, standards-based instructional resources back to their students. Through the teachers we support, economic knowledge swells through the multiplier effect in that new knowledge is passed on to each of their students.
We believe every child in every school can benefit from practical economic knowledge, which allows students to make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities. Through its work, the Barker Center and its partners contribute to the region’s economic health and vibrancy.
About Us
The Barker Center is a nonprofit partnership of leaders from the education and business communities dedicated to economic literacy. Founded in 1974, the center is the premier source for economic teacher training, educational materials and curriculum reform. Over its 40 years of operation, the center has instructed more than 5,000 teachers and administrators who affect the economic perspective of around 375,000 elementary and secondary students.
Our understanding of economic education may be different from yours. To us, economic education is not confined to history or government class. It does not suddenly appear in the eighth grade, disappear until the eleventh grade and then reappear only in specific collegiate study areas, like accounting. To us, economic education is like language and culture: it pervades every aspect of daily life. It begins, very simply, at a very young age and broadens and matures as the student progresses. It is a tool which allows an individual to function, and indeed to prosper, with understanding, within the U.S. economy and the world.
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