Cowin Financial Literacy Program

April 1, 2024 — May 15, 2024

Program Description:

Teachers College, Columbia University is offering an online version of its Cowin Financial Literacy Institute. Based on an asynchronous online learning experience, the non-credit course will provide classroom teachers, pre-service teachers and other educators with classroom-ready instructional resources, strategies, and support to teach financial concepts (savings, investing, budgeting, financial planning, credit, risk, consumption, and diversification) to high school students.

A total of 150 Cowin Fellows will be admitted to the online non-credit course at no cost, thanks to the generous support of TC Trustee and alumna Joyce B. Cowin.

We encourage TC alumni, superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals and assistant principals to enlist educators in their districts and schools to enroll in the program. Space is limited.

Those who complete the 6-week non-credit course will receive 30 Clock Hours and 30 CTLE credits*

*Any attendee who is taking this non-credit course for CTLE credit for NY State must enter their name exactly as it appears on the TEACH website in accordance with NYSED requirements.

WHY ATTEND

Learn to use the case-study method to teach your students financial literacy. Engage them as problem solvers in some of the most compelling dramas and dilemmas of personal money management.

The Cowin Financial Literacy Program online non-credit course offers:

Instructional tools and resources for teachers to guide and support students in resolving financial dilemmas
Thirty hours of continuing education
Renowned TC faculty, instructors, and expert guest lecturers
Explicit connections to national and local standards and the Common Core

Cost: This online non-credit course is underwritten by a generous grant from Joyce B. Cowin, a Teachers College trustee and alumna.

Visit our website for free classroom materials

Features

Learn how to use the case study method and the real-world dilemmas of managing money to teach financial literacy in your classroom
Discuss your work with fellow teachers, non-credit course instructors, and noted financial literacy experts
Connect the cases to the larger economic, political, and social issues your students face as citizens, voters, and taxpayers
Get access to a wide range of engaging, classroom-ready resources, including political cartoons, videos, and news articles
Teach a case, and use the feedback of the non-credit course instructors and your colleagues to integrate the power of real-world problem solving into your financial literacy classroom

The online non-credit course will be taught by faculty and instructors led by Anand Marri, lead architect of the Cowin Financial Literacy program and former Vice President and Head of Outreach & Education at the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

The non-credit course will be based on the program’s original case studies to teach essential financial concepts, such as savings, investing, budgeting, financial planning, credit, risk, consumption, and diversification. Students will read studies that illustrate specific financial concepts and get an in-depth understanding of the case study approach, as well as of the cases themselves, from additional resources that will include supplemental readings, videotaped lectures, live-streamed video discussions and expert responses to the cases.

FAQ

What is the cost of registration and/or tuition for the Cowin online non-credit course?

Thanks to the generous support of TC Trustee and alumna Joyce B. Cowin, a total of 150 Cowin Fellows will be admitted to take the online non-credit course at no cost. Participants who complete the program will receive a certificate from Teachers College documenting that they have completed thirty (30) hours of continuing education.

Can teachers earn professional development credits for attending the Summer Institute?

Yes. Participants who successfully complete the non-credit course can earn 30 Clock Hours or 30 CTLE credits*

*Any attendee who is taking this non-credit course for CTLE credit for NY State must enter their name exactly as it appears on the TEACH website in accordance with NYSED requirements.

What type of assignments and homework will this non-credit course require?

In order to be eligible for professional development hours, participants should be prepared to spend approximately three hours per week on coursework. Coursework will include a combination of reading assignments, online discussion/forums and homework.