Teaching Financial Literacy in Schools?

I was reading an article this morning in the Globe and Mail titled "To teach financial literacy, get 'em while their young" and was thinking about how much sense that makes.  Up until the past year or so with the introduction of Apprenticeship and Workplace Math, there has been limited attention paid to the value of teaching kids about money management.  Basically, these skills have been left to chance, and unless kids are learning it at home, they are moving out into the work world with a limited understanding related to credit, investing, saving, mortgages, etc.  Even with the inclusion of money matters within the AW Math curriculum, only a third of our students are getting exposure to the information.
Given the state of both our local, national and global economics, I believe it is essential that we equip students with a basic understanding of how to manage their own finances once they leave school.  With understanding some basic principles around money management, young adults can quickly create a sound financial plan whereby they can sustain themselves through times of highs and lows, and understand the perils of accessibility to increasing levels of personal debt.
Just this fall, at GFSS, we introduced a fourth component to our Grad Transitions package that outlines some key ideas around finacial literacy. 
In this section, students are expected to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of income to calculate gross and net pay
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to manage a personal budget including the purchase of large assets and managing credit
• Demonstrate an understanding of simple principles of money management

Although these criteria are not included as components in the Grad Transitions curriculum, we felt that it was a very important area for further work to create a greater understanding for our graduating students. 
For those parents who wish to know more about how they can support their child's understanding related to managing their own finances, check out
http://www.moneyexchange.net/library/money-lessons-for-children
for some helpful links.

I have also included a link to the article mentioned above if you wish to read more about the move to increase financial awareness in schools.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/education/learning/to-teach-financial-literacy-get-em-while-theyre-young/article1869269/?service=mobile#