My Classroom Podcast: FAFSA Filing Ideas With Fellows
My Classroom is a short NGPF podcast series devoted to supporting the efforts of teachers. Each week we will speak with different teachers who will share timely tips, resources, and teaching strategies that can be implemented immediately into the classroom.
In this week's episode, we speak to a wonderful group of NGPF Fellows. NGPF Fellows dedicate time on Saturday mornings to meet up, check-in on one another, and share helpful tips & classroom strategies.
Join the conversation with Amanda...
My Classroom Podcast: Dr. Sessaty
My Classroom is a short NGPF podcast series devoted to supporting the efforts of teachers. Each week we will speak with different teachers who will share timely tips, resources, and teaching strategies that can be implemented immediately into the classroom.
In this week's episode, we speak to Dr. Sessaty, Director for Postsecondary Initiatives at San Antonio ISD. Dr. Sessaty’s program has been nationally recognized for increasing college enrollment rates and FAFSA completion rates. At the...
NGPF Podcast: NY Times Columnist Ron Lieber on his new book, The Price You Pay for College
Ron Lieber returns to the NGPF Podcast to discuss his latest book. This podcast is a must-listen for educators and counselors helping young people navigate the college and financial aid maze. Ron shares his insights into the current "merit aid" system, the emotional baggage many bring into the college decision-making process and also what to look for in a college. His advice will educate, empower and provide listeners with key questions they should be asking. Enjoy!
Details:...
Reading List for February 12-14
By Beth Tallman
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Feb 12, 2021
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Cryptocurrencies, Investing, Economics, Budgeting, Taxes, Paying for College
Happy Valentine's Day!
BitCoin
Bitcoin may be winning the headline contest over GameStop this week. Let’s start with “What can you buy with bitcoin?” (NYT)
The nation’s oldest bank, BNY Mellon, and Mastercard announce they are getting on the cyrptocurrency bandwagon. (Markets Insider)
Tesla may have triggered the latest run-up in bitcoin pricing after their announcement of a $1.5 billion investment, and that they would accept bitcoin as payment for their cars. (CNBC)...
Question of the Day: What percent of students receive scholarships or grants for college?
Answer: 63% of all undergraduates receive at least one grant or scholarship.
Questions
Would you choose a college just based on how many scholarships or grant aid you receive from them? Why or why not?
Aside from the percentage of students receiving scholarship or grant aid, what else would you want to know when researching colleges?
What are other ways that you can pay for college besides scholarships or grants?
How are scholarships and grants different from loans?
Click...
Reading List for January 29-31
Game Stop
Seems like we could devote the entire reading list to Game Stop. It is the topic of this week’s FinCap Friday, this 15 minute primer on NGPF with Tim and Yanely, and NGPF will hold a PD on Monday about it as well. In the mean time, here are several articles covering several aspects of this phenomenon.
If you read/watch nothing else on the topic, WATCH THIS! NBC’s Stephanie Ruhle’s explanation of the situation, being called a “short...
A Worrying Trend for High School Seniors
As of January 15th, 2021, only one out of three high school seniors have filed a FAFSA -- which is down about 10% from this time last year, according to the FAFSA Tracker which uses data from the U.S. Department of Education. And the numbers are even worse for seniors who qualify for free and reduced lunch (FAFSA completions are down by 13%) and students of color (down by 15.4%).
Here is what makes this such a worrying trend: NerdWallet estimated that students who are Pell Grant-eligible missed...
NGPF Podcast: NGPF Payback Challenge National Winners Alexandra Hovdestad and Andrew Tomlinson
Each fall, the NGPF Payback Challenge provides students across the country with the opportunity to earn college scholarships with $50,000 awarded. This week, you will hear from our two National Winners, Alexandra Hovdestad of Lenape High School (Medford, NJ) and Andrew Tomlinson of Mora High School. They will share what they learned from the NGPF Arcade game, Payback, and how it has influenced their college plans in the future. In our Current Events section, Yanely discusses a financing...
NGPF Announces Winners of 4th Annual PAYBACK Challenge Scholarship
PALO ALTO, California, January 19, 2021
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Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), a non-profit committed to ensuring that ALL students leave high school with the financial skills needed to thrive in the future, is pleased to recognize the National Grand Prize and Honorable Mention award recipients in their 4th annual PAYBACK Challenge Scholarship Contest.
Congratulations to the National Grand Prize winners who each will receive a $2,500 scholarship from NGPF to be used for educational...
Four Interactives to Engage Your Students
By Brian Page
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Jan 12, 2021
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Interactive, Paying for College, Investing, Checking Accounts, Behavioral Finance
Interactives are clearly popular resources in the classroom. Paired with each interactive are professional development opportunities for teachers to build their content knowledge.
Filing a FAFSA
College enrollment and FAFSA applications have plummeted, presumably because of Covid. Teachers are clearly encouraging students to file FAFSAs, and can use all the help they can get. The following interactive will help students see for themselves that they can likely afford college.
Student...
Best of 2020: Most Visited NGPF Unit Pages
By Tim Ranzetta
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Dec 23, 2020
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FinCap Friday, Credit Cards, Credit Reports, Investing, Math, Credit Scores, Savings, Paying for College
Our Unit Pages are the most visited pages on the NGPF website, which had over 5 million pageviews in 2020.
Why are these pages so popular? Teachers tell us it's because they can see all NGPF resources on a given topic (unit) on ONE page. So, whether you are looking for 45 or 90 minute lessons or just individual resources (activities, projects, FinCap Fridays, questions of the day, case studies or math activities), you can find them on the unit page.
Here were the unit pages that...
Best of 2020...NGPF Arcade Games
By Tim Ranzetta
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Dec 20, 2020
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Paying for College, Interactive, Credit Reports, Investing, Budgeting
2020 saw the release of two new games to the NGPF Arcade: Money Magic in January and The Bummer! Game in October. The game developers, McKInney, continue to add to their medal count:
The investment game STAX was named a 2020 Webby winner in the Public Service, Activism, and Social Impact category
Shady Sam collected a Wood Pencil at this year’s D&AD Awards, which honor the world’s best in advertising and design category
2019 saw PAYBACK win a Webby in the Education...
Question of the Day (Updated): What Percentage of High School Seniors have filed their FAFSA to access College Aid? (as of 11/27/20)
Answer: 24.3% as of 11/27/20
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Questions:
Have you filed your FAFSA yet? Why or why not? Do you plan to file for FAFSA this year?
Why is it important to file FAFSA as soon as possible?
What are the important FAFSA deadlines to know?
The FAFSA completion rate is down compared to the past two years, why do you think this is the case?
Behind the...
Question of the Day: FAFSA Applications for financial aid have _________ by ___________% compared to last year.
Hat tip to Brian Page who highlighted this trend.
Answer: FAFSA applications have declined by 17% compared to last year.
Questions:
Has COVID-19 changed your plans after high school?
For those considering college, why is filing the FAFSA so important?
FAFSA applications are a good proxy for students applying to college. Do you think this decline is temporary or permanent (i.e., that fewer students will apply to colleges this year)?
Here's the ready-to-go slides for...
FAFSA filings down 15.5%; Interactives to Nudge Students to File the FAFSA
FAFSA filings are down 15.5% on year over year basis. We all know the consequences of students failing to file a FAFSA and the importance of filing early. Some awards have limited resources, and those who wait until the last minute to file could be out of luck as funding dries up.
Here are three interactives you can use to nudge your students to file a FAFSA now.
FAFSA Tracker - The #FormYourFuture FAFSA Tracker is an interactive data dashboard that tracks and ranks states’ progress...
Teacher Accounts
To get access to NGPF answer keys, assessments, and teacher-only resources: create a FREE Teacher Account
