News Release

Sept. 15, 2006

Idaho Council on Economic Education at Boise State Offers Free Stock Market Game

Who says kids don’t know how to manage money? This semester more than 3,000 Idaho students from Sandpoint to Soda Springs will play The Stock Market Game, sponsored by the Idaho Council on Economic Education at Boise State University. This semester’s added bonus is that the first 1,000 student teams to register will play the game free, thanks to generous support from Idaho businesses.

Teachers from public, private, home and virtual schools can register their students for The Stock Market Game by calling or e-mailing the Idaho Council on Economic Education at (208) 426-2926, or smg@boisestate.edu.

The Stock Market Game was introduced in 1977 and is played every semester around the world by 9 million students in grades 4-12. Idaho student teams will compete with others across the state, nation and world to see what they can do with $100,000 in virtual cash. Wall Street-based computers allow students to trade on-line, chart their gains and track their portfolios. InvestWrite, a follow-up competition, allows the students to reflect and write about what they learned from their experience.

The Idaho Council on Economic Education, manager of The Stock Market Game for the state, was formed in 1972 by a group of business leaders, bankers and university professors who wanted to increase economic and financial literacy among Idaho’s youth.

“Since then the Council has grown to include hundreds of Idaho financial institutions, businesses and individuals that share the same mission — helping students prepare to compete and prosper in their careers, communities, state and world,” said Leon Maynard, president of the council. The Idaho council now has regional centers at University of Idaho, Idaho State University and the College of Southern Idaho.

Idaho teachers have used The Stock Market Game for more than 20 years to teach their students not only the fundamentals of investing but also to give them a hands-on chance to practice their skills in math, reading, research, technology, teamwork and writing. It brings abstract concepts to life and plants the seeds of a lifetime of intelligent personal financial management for students who participate.

In addition to the Stock Market Game, the Idaho Council on Economic Education offers a variety of other programs that teach business and economics to students. They include The Mini Economy for elementary classrooms, Math and Economics for junior high schools and the International Economic Summit for high schools.

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Contact: Leon Maynard, Idaho Council on Economic Education, (208) 426-1810, leonmaynard@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Sherry Squires, University Communications, (208) 426-1563, ssquires@boisestate.edu

Where you see blue, we see the largest institution of higher education in Idaho. For the ninth time in the last 10 years, Boise State University has set an all-time state record with a fall enrollment of 18,876 students. Since 1996, Boise State’s student population has increased 25 percent.

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007