Econ Lowdown

Econ Lowdown is a financial literacy website and online classroom platform providing free lessons and activities for K–12 and college. It's backed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (with additional resources from other sources, such as the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta).

The site's resource gallery hosts over 400 resources (including a couple dozen in Spanish). Resources come in a vast range of types: lectures, interviews, animated explanatory videos, informational text, audio clips, online activities, games, interactives, and more. They're easy to use individually or to combine for complete, customized lessons using the site's built-in syllabi tool. It's easy to browse by resource type, school subject, content topic, grade, language, duration, and more, or you can search by keyword to find what you need. Some content is specifically targeted for earlier grades, to make learning about the economy available to all ages. All of the content relates to the economy, covering broad topics such as Buying Goods and Services, Credit, Economic Growth, Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates, Paying for College, Planning and Money Management, and Taxes. Teachers can also browse resources by "group." These are collections, generally thematic, that are tied to specific brands or tools. For instance, there's a group for NPR's Planet Money show, and FREDcast, a data analysis tool and game tied to key economic statistics. 

Econ Lowdown includes quality materials from across the economics spectrum, from learning about how credit works to employment to banking to investing to interest rates. It covers both personal finance and the national and global economy. If students dig into this range of materials, they'll gain a valuable perspective that ties their own personal experiences to the broader financial and economic context. Along the way, they can learn to better balance their own monthly budget or to plan for their future. They'll also better understand the government's role in the direction of the economy and how markets influence it all.

It can be challenging, however, to sort through everything on offer, and the site could feature better suggested pathways and syllabi. Teachers will want to investigate each resource. Some are far better than others, and there's a general inconsistency in delivery and quality, including pedagogical approach. For instance, during a lesson focused on minimum wage increases and combating poverty, students consider only one political viewpoint. While this side of the debate is handled well, it is poor pedagogical practice to not have students investigate the other position just as thoroughly.

Similarly, there are a variety of ways for students to learn and demonstrate learning on the site, but many of the assessments are fairly passive and focus on comprehension. However, about a dozen interactive activities offer some increased engagement and variety, and any of the content can be paired with outside assignments that require students to synthesize and apply what they've learned here. Teachers can also augment the material by adding writing assessments to each syllabus, but students will get the most out of this site if teachers integrate the material into larger lessons or units.