Last week, the New York Times published an article about how Silicon Valley has pushed their agenda for teaching computer coding in U.S. schools.
The chief executive of Apple, Timothy D. Cook, told President Trump that, “Coding should be a requirement in every public school.”
Another quote from the article that caught my attention was from Hadi Partovi who founded code.org. He stated, “Encryption is at least as foundational as photosynthesis.”
The Silicon Valley folks are pushing their own agenda into all levels of the U.S. education system. Where are the advocates for financial literacy in U.S. schools?
Where are the men and women of Wall Street in this fray?
I am all for teaching the current generation of U.S. students the skills that they will need to complete in a global workforce. But what difference does it make if they get a computer science degree and they don’t know how to manage the student loans?
Or how credit cards work? Or how to operate a bank account? Or what is involved in a home mortgage? Or how a company 401(k) retirement plan mutual fund works?
It is no secret that U.S. schools get a failing grade in financial literacy. Managing personal finances would be as important as the next great app for an iPhone.
Ric Lager
Lager & Company, Inc.
