An interview with a Kansas City teacher on making personal finance click for high school students

Key Takeaways

• A new Synchrony Financial Literacy Lab has opened at DeLaSalle High School in Kansas City, Missouri.
• The Lab helps students build practical personal finance and credit skills through hands-on resources, collaborative learning and real-world decision-making.
• The Lab is one of 10 being built in U.S. high schools through Synchrony’s Empowering Financial Futures philanthropic initiative to advance K–12 personal finance education.

For Ruby Davis, a financial lesson does not always “click” with a worksheet or a lecture. Sometimes, it starts with a board game.

Davis is in their third year of teaching entrepreneurship and personal finance at DeLaSalle High School in Kansas City, Missouri. This year, nearly 80 students will study personal finance in Davis' class as part of a statewide graduation requirement. In the school’s new Synchrony Financial Literacy Lab, Davis is turning money concepts into experiences students can see, discuss and practice.

The lab is one of 10 Financial Literacy Labs being built in U.S. high schools through Synchrony’s Empowering Financial Futures philanthropic initiative. To date, Synchrony has invested $3 million into  this initiative to expand K–12 personal finance education through teacher development, classroom resources, and the labs, as well as provide free financial counseling services for teachers. The initiative also trains employee volunteers to help teachers deliver financial literacy at scale.

“The Lab has built curiosity more than anything,” Davis said. Synchrony provided calculators and financial literacy cards to each student and built a “Financial Futures Learning Library” stocked with games and books that students can borrow.  Easy access to those resources gives students more ways to explore financial concepts hands-on.

Board Game Fridays put that approach into practice. “Students have loved it,” Davis said. “They get an opportunity to practice many of life’s financial decisions in a safe, controlled environment while learning from both the game and their classmates.”

Students can test a choice, see the consequences and compare strategies with classmates to build confidence in making good financial choices before they face similar decisions outside the classroom.

The redesigned classroom, which was co-designed with Davis, reinforces that energy. A pop of yellow brightens the classroom, while new furniture encourages collaboration and makes the Lab more inviting.

For Davis, Synchrony’s support has been “an opportunity to fill students’ buckets with resources."

“Without Synchrony, we wouldn’t have all the tools I’m able to fall back on to make personal finance more engaging and accessible. Synchrony has also supported me as an educator by helping me pursue continued learning through an educator conference this upcoming November, which I’m very excited about!,” Davis said.

Synchrony is sponsoring Davis and other teachers across the country to attend the annual Jump$tart National Educator conference in November, supporting their continued learning and providing another source of ideas to bring back to their classrooms.

For DeLaSalle Assistant Principal Emily Bodfish, the need for this kind of learning is clear. “I have never met a student who doesn't want to have better financial literacy skills. Teaching these skills in high school often coincides with when students get their first job, or need to understand how a college loan works, so they are able to put into action what they are learning immediately."

At DeLaSalle High School, personal finance is no longer just a lesson on a page. In the Synchrony Financial Literacy Lab, students can test their choices, learn from classmates and build skills they will carry into adulthood. When those lessons click, it’s often because a teacher like Davis  helped make it possible.

FAQs

What is the new Financial Literacy Lab in Kansas City?
The new Synchrony Financial Literacy Lab at DeLaSalle High School is a classroom re-designed to help students learn practical money skills such as budgeting, credit, and savings.

What is Empowering Financial Futures?
Through $3 million in grants, an employee-led Financial Literacy Service Corps, and strategic partnerships with leading nonprofits and schools, Synchrony’s Empowering Financial Futures philanthropic initiative is equipping teachers, students, employees, and communities with  tools to help make smarter financial decisions and build a stronger financial future.

To learn more about Synchrony’s Empowering Financial Futures philanthropic initiative and access our nonprofit partners’ resources for teachers, please visit synchrony.com/about-us/corporate-citizenship