An introductory course is the discipline's handshake; it is the greeting that either seals the deal or in varying degrees convinces the learner that this discipline has little usefulness. Given the huge stakes in forming a strategy for the introductory course, how should we structure the course? The argument in this paper is that we should…

Investigated high school students' levels of economic understanding using the Test of Economic Literacy. Students' scores were analyzed and compared to national averages. The subjects students understood best were currency exchange, competition, and types of economic systems. The subjects they understood least were market failures, inflation, and…