DISCOVER AWARDS A $57,000 FINANCIAL EDUCATION GRANT TO MADISON METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Grant is Part of Discover’s Five-Year Commitment to Bring Financial Education to Thousands of Classrooms Across the Country
Riverwoods, IL. – Oct. 29, 2013 – Discover Financial Services announced that it has awarded the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) with a $57,000 grant to fund a financial education curriculum across the district’s high schools. The grant is part of Discover’s Pathway to Financial Success program, a five-year, $10 million commitment started in 2012 to bring financial education curriculum into public high schools across the country. An oversized ceremonial check from Discover was presented to MMSD superintendent, Jennifer Cheatham, during their Board of Education meeting Monday night.
“Financial literacy is an important part of preparing our students to graduate ready for college, career and community,” Cheatham said. “Thanks to Discover, we’ll now be able to have technology at our fingertips in personal financial literacy classes at each of our high schools.”
MMSD will be incorporating the W!SE Financial Literacy Program into their curriculum, along with elements of the Family Economics and Financial Education curriculum from the University of Arizona and curriculum materials from the National Endowment for Financial Education. With the MMSD grant, Discover has awarded 37 financial education grants totaling nearly $500,000 to Wisconsin public high schools.
As part of Discover’s Pathway to Financial Success grant requirements, MMSD will implement a pre- and post- financial literacy test for all participating students to measure curriculum effectiveness. According to post-test results from the 2012-2013 school year, U.S. students whose high schools received a grant from Discover’s Pathway to Financial Success program and were taught a financial education curriculum saw a 26 percent increase in their knowledge of financial education.
“We are dedicated to bringing financial education to as many high schools as possible across the country and the grants we are providing are making a difference,” said Matthew Towson, senior manager of Community Affairs at Discover. “Based on pre- and post-test results submitted by the schools receiving grants from Discover, students went from failing to passing grades after taking a financial education course.”
Pathway to Financial Success is well on its way to reaching more than a half million students during a five-year period as it works to raise awareness about the need for financial education in the classroom, and provide financial education tools and resources for schools to use in teaching students. So far, Discover has awarded more than $4 million in financial education grants to public high schools across the country.
To learn more about the program, please visit Pathwaytofinancialsuccess.org.
About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America’s cash rewards pioneer, and offers home loans, private student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its direct banking business. It operates the Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.
Contact:
Matthew Towson, 224-405-5649
matthewtowson@discover.com
