Headlines at Hopkins
News Release

Office of News and Information
Johns Hopkins University
901 South Bond Street, Suite 540
Baltimore, Maryland 21231
Phone: 443-287-9960 | Fax: 443-287-9920

February 25, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Anne Swain
(410) 516-4739


Stock Investing Program Improves Academic Performance
Seventh grade 'investors' outperformed peers in reading, vocabulary and math

Middle school students participating in a stock investing program that teaches them strategies for earning, saving and investing money outperformed other students in several key academic areas, according to researchers at the Center for the Social Organization of Schools at the Johns Hopkins University.

The seventh-graders who took part in the Stocks in the Future program scored 31 percent higher in reading, vocabulary and math than did students in a control group, and sixth-grade participants' scores were 18 percent higher in reading comprehension and math.

These results reflect the positive impact of the supplemental program, which was offered to 400 students in Baltimore and Washington who were identified as needing incentives to improve school performance. The study included students at Barclay School, Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School and Oakland Mills Middle School in Baltimore City; Deep Creek Middle School and Dundalk Middle School in Baltimore County; and Washington Jesuit Academy in Washington, D.C.

The scripted Stocks in the Future curriculum was developed at the Center for Social Organization of Schools. Under the terms of the program, students who attend school regularly and improve their grades earn "SIF Dollars" that enable them to buy real, publicly traded stocks, which they receive when they graduate from high school and turn 18.

"The positive impact of the Stocks in the Future program is substantial," said CSOS's Anne Swain, who is executive director of the program. "Stocks in the Future helps students improve their school performance in core academic areas of reading and math, while the incentive provides a needed 'excuse' to attend school."

Proven effective during a multi-year pilot, Stocks in the Future is ready to launch its program throughout the region, Swain said.

Stocks in the Future, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has received long-standing support from the Abell Foundation, the Bernstein Family Foundation, the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Family Foundation, Eastern Savings Bank, Legg Mason, M & T Bank, Praxis Engineering, Provident Bank, Sun Trust Bank, and the U.S. Educational Fund.

Related Web site (including study results):
> Stocks in the Future