Contends that the biggest gains in student understanding of economic principles are made in formal economics courses. Reports on an analysis of data from three national tests of economic knowledge. Finds that a formal course or an extensive economics unit leads to larger gains in student achievement. (CFR)

A group of 34 experimental and 45 control teachers provided data on 1,866 pupils in 75 different classrooms in 24 communities in the United States to determine the extent to which the workshop training provided for recipients of the Sears-Roebuck Foundation Fellowships in the summer of 1972 affected the economic understanding of their pupils.…

Evidence that elementary school children possess inadequate economic knowledge is presented, and four arguments are outlined for the importance of economics education in the public schools: (1) economic knowledge is essential to civic duty in a democracy; (2) economic knowledge is important when individuals attempt to function rationally in a…

This report investigated the effect of Kazanjian Foundation Award Programs for Teaching Economics (KFAP) on elementary school children, grades four through six. The research was designed around three groups -- users of Kazanjian materials with teacher training, without teacher training, and users of normal curriculum materials. Teacher training…