SEC Completes Inaugural Teacher Training Workshop

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2010-138

Washington, D.C., July 30, 2010 — Teachers from schools across the country just completed an inaugural Securities and Exchange Commission training course that will help them teach their students about the importance of the financial markets.

The SEC has initiated the new teacher training program in its Office of Investor Education and Advocacy to help classroom teachers and other educators increase their knowledge of the capital markets and develop ways to enhance the financial education programs in their schools. More than 30 educators from across the country attended the inaugural four-day workshop last week that focused on the securities markets, investor protection, and the federal government's oversight role.

SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, SEC Commissioner Elisse Walter, and a host of SEC staff led training sessions during the program. Representatives from other government agencies including the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve also made presentations.

"Financial education in our schools can provide a lifetime of dividends," said Lori J. Schock, Director the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy. "We were fortunate that the workshop coincided with the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act, enabling the teachers to gain a wealth of first-hand knowledge and experience that they can now share directly with the students in their classrooms."

Earlier this year, the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy began working with NYSE Euronext to help broaden its financial education programs offered to teachers and other educators during the summer. The programs are designed to help educators teach students about the financial marketplace and its importance in their lives and the global economy.

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