Taking the Eeek Out of Economics: A Case Study of an Online Professional Development Course for Elementary Classroom Teachers

The Kentucky Council on Economic Education (KCEE) and the Kentucky Department of Education‘s e-Learning Kentucky recently collaborated to develop and facilitate an interactive, online professional development course titled, ―Taking the Eeek Out of Economics: Economics for the Elementary Classroom‖. The course was designed to encourage elementary educators to integrate economics across the curriculum using materials from the National Council for Economic Education resources and activities, and focusing on teaching strategies to differentiate learning for all students. The course was funded by an Excellence in Economic Education grant. This case study presents the results of the collaborative professional development course in terms of teacher attitude towards economic education and student learning outcomes. Initial analysis of the results indicates a positive increase in teacher attitudes as well as a statistically significant increase in student knowledge of basic economic concepts.