Developments in High School Economics
Paper Session
Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM (CST)
- Chair: Andrew Hill, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
The Landscape of AP Economics and Alignment with the Profession
Abstract
Participation in Advanced Placement (AP) courses has grown over time. In 2012 3,698,407 AP exams were taken, compared to 4,762,347 in 2022. Looking specifically at economics, in 2022, 218,799 AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics exams were taken. Given the number of AP students that go on to college, these students comprise an important part of the undergraduate student body and are candidates for majoring in economics. This paper describes the landscape of AP Economics, explains the process for aligning the College Board’s Course and Exam Description with college-level content, and describes how updates are made to the curriculum to keep it relevant and accurate. In fact, given the structure around the content, changes can often happen here more quickly than in the broader profession, and the alignment of the curriculum to the AP Exam ensures changes are implemented at the classroom level. We use the 2022 mid-cycle update to the AP Macroeconomics course as a case study for explaining the curriculum update process and the timeliness of classroom implementation.Economists Who Look Like Me: Increasing Knowledge in and Awareness of Economics in the Federal Reserve Education Fellows (FREF) Program
Abstract
Given the well-documented lack of diversity in economics, efforts to increase diversity in the field have been undertaken in a variety of ways. The Federal Reserve Education Fellows (FREF) program recruited K–12 teachers from majority-minority school districts to teach up to 13 economics lessons in their classrooms. The teachers were trained on how to use the lessons and the associated pedagogical content knowledge. The students in the treatment were pre- and post-tested. At the end of the treatment year, the teachers were interviewed about their experiences teaching the FREF curriculum and their observations on how it impacted their students. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, we analyze the program for gains in student knowledge, changes in student attitudes toward economics, and the classroom experiences of teachers and students in the 2022–2023 academic year. Preliminary results show increases in student knowledge, as well as an increased student awareness of careers in economics. However, still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, primary and secondary education have changed. To better expose students to economics, the FREF program likely must be adapted to better suit the needs of today’s teachers and students.Discussant(s)
William Bosshardt
,
Florida Atlantic University
Paul Grimes
,
Pittsburg State University
Carlos Asarta
,
University of Delaware
JEL Classifications
- A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics