Thomas R Brown Foundation

OFFICE OF ECONOMIC EDUCATION (OEE)THE THOMAS R. BROWN FOUNDATION (TRBF) CONTINUES ITS WORK WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA OFFICE OF ECONOMIC EDUCATION (OEE) IN PROVIDING ECONOMIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO K-12 TEACHERS THROUGHOUT ARIZONA. IN 2021, THE OEE OFFERED 31 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS FOR K-12 EDUCATORS IN THE FORM OF 1-2-HOUR WEEKDAY SESSIONS, SELF-PACED PROGRAMS OVER 3-4 WEEKS, AND FULL-DAY CONFERENCES IN THE SUMMER. WITH ONE EXCEPTION, PROGRAMS WERE OFFERED ENTIRELY ONLINE. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FEATURED INTRODUCTORY CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES, COMPLIMENTARY COPIES OF RELEVANT TEXTS, AND SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS. A TOTAL OF 741 "SEATS" WERE FILLED ACROSS THE 31 WORKSHOPS, WITH SOME EDUCATORS ATTENDING MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM. BOTH THE NUMBER OF PROGRAMS AND THE SEATS FILLED IN 2021 MORE THAN DOUBLED FROM 2020 AS THE ORGANIZATION BECAME MORE COMFORTABLE OFFERING ONLINE PROGRAMMING.

"V.O.T.E." (VOICES ON THE ECONOMY) SERIESTHE VOTE SERIES IS DESIGNED TO TEACH ECONOMIC ISSUES FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES TO FOSTER MORE PRODUCTIVE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND MORE EFFECTIVE POLICY FORMATION. DEVELOPED BY AMY CRAMER, PH.D., THE SERIES TEACHES THE HISTORY OF THREE DIFFERENT ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES WITHOUT PROMOTING ANY SPECIFIC ECONOMIC OR POLITICAL VIEWPOINT. THE SERIES BEGINS WITH A THREE-DAY CONFERENCE DURING WHICH DR. CRAMER TEACHES THE HISTORIC FOUNDATIONS FOR THE THREE PERSPECTIVES. AS AN EXTENSION OF THE INITIAL CONFERENCE, DR. CRAMER OFFERS EIGHT ADDITIONAL WORKSHOPS OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD. THE SINGLE DAY TOPICS COVERED ARE HEALTH CARE, RETIREMENT SECURITY, THE ENVIRONMENT, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, THE FEDERAL BUDGET, ECONOMIC STABILITY, MARKET POWER, AND INCOME DISTRIBUTION. SEVEN DAYS OF VOTE PROGRAMMING WERE OFFERED IN 2021, WITH A TOTAL OF 193 SEATS FILLED. IN THE FALL OF 2021 DR. CRAMER RECRUITED A GROUP OF 10 TEACHERS FOR VOTE EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.

MASTER TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAMTHE TRBF MASTER TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAM (ALSO CALLED THE "TEACHER-IN-RESIDENCE" PROGRAM) IS A PILOT PROGRAM THAT DECREASES THE NON-CLASSROOM TIME OF A HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE ECONOMICS TEACHER AND LEVERAGES THAT TIME FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHER EDUCATORS. IN 2021, FUNDS FROM THE PROGRAM PURCHASED ONE-FIFTH OF A TEACHER'S CONTRACT TIME DURING THE SPRING SEMESTER. JAMES "JIM" LERCH CONTINUED AS THE TEACHER-IN-RESIDENCE AT UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL IN THE TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. LERCH CONTINUED TO MENTOR TEACHERS BOTH WITHIN AND WITHOUT HIS ASSIGNED SCHOOL. IN COOPERATION WITH THE TRBF DIRECTOR OF EDUCATOR PROGRAMS, HE CONTINUED TO REFINE AN ONLINE ECONOMICS EDUCATION RESOURCE LIBRARY CALLED ECONCIERGE. HE ALSO DEVELOPED AND LED TWO ORIGINAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS.

ELEMENTARY ECONOMICS FALL 2020TRBF OFFERED 12 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR ELEMENTARY EDUCATORS IN 2021, FILLING A TOTAL OF 209 SEATS (WITH SOME ATTENDEES PARTICIPATING IN MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM). THE WORKSHOPS TOOK TWO FORMS: 1-3-HOUR ONLINE WORKSHOPS AND IN-PERSON TRAINING FOR PRE-SERVICE EDUCATORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA. AT MOST ELEMENTARY WORKSHOPS, ATTENDEES WERE PROVIDED WITH COMPLIMENTARY CHILDREN'S BOOKS ACCOMPANIED BY LESSON PLANS FOCUSED ON ECONOMICS AND PERSONAL FINANCE.