Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel
Public-Private Partnerships Provide Financial Education Tools for Ohio Schools

COLUMBUS - Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel toured Columbus Downtown High School today to discuss his office's Financial Edge initiative, and to see innovative new financial educational resources in action. Financial Edge is a public-private partnership that provides free financial education tools to parents, educators and students.

"Columbus Downtown High School is a great example of a public school that is helping to equip students with both the educational and vocational skills that they will need to be successful upon graduation. My office's Financial Edge initiative seeks to make tools available to help young Ohioans get in the habit of making smart money choices early on in their lives and careers," said Treasurer Mandel. "Financial Edge is a public-private partnership that aims to leverage technology to equip students for success in higher education, the workforce, and life in general and to build a strong base of financial understanding for their future."

All Ohio schools are required to offer personal finance education to high school students prior to graduation and Treasurer Mandel's Financial Edge initiative is designed to help provide a suite of resources to assist in meeting financial education curriculum requirements. The Treasurer's Financial Edge initiative leverages technology, engages non-profit organizations, and cultivates public-private partnerships to connect educators and parents with innovative financial literacy resources. Examples of Financial Edge resource partnerships include:

The National Endowment for Financial Education;

EverFi in partnership with the Ohio Bankers League; and,

Real Money Real World in partnership with The Ohio State University Extension.

Financial Edge accommodates classrooms with varying learning styles and technological capabilities in their teaching of financial education by providing interactive online programming along with print-based materials.

During the tour of Columbus Downtown High School Treasurer Mandel was offered a classroom demonstration of financial education software provided by EverFi, one of the Treasury's Financial Edge partners. This public-private partnership helps to offer valuable financial tools, free of charge to Ohio schools.

"There are often very limited resources to provide innovative programs in our classrooms and EverFi's software helps to fill a void by offering a first-class suite of financial education exercises and teaching aides," said Dave Mangas, Principal of Columbus Downtown High School. "We are happy to partner with the Treasurer's office and the private sector to give these learning tools to our faculty and make this financial education program available to our students at no charge to the school."

In addition to the partnership with EverFi, the Treasurer's office makes various interactive, online and downloadable resources available on the Treasurer's website. For more information, please visit: www.OhioTreasurer.gov/FinancialEDge.