Julie Harris has no shortage of cautionary tales. Back in the day, like many teenagers, she blundered with money.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Among the memorable anecdotes: running up her first-ever credit card, close encounters with scams <\/a>\u2026 and that one time she vacationed in Mexico, faltered in negotiations at a tourist trap, and came home with an overpriced sombrero hat.\u00a0<\/p>\n Teacher Julie Harris uses cards to help students analyze real-world economic concepts during her personal financial literacy class at Skyline High School on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Now 50, the veteran educator, cherished for her boisterous voice and infectious smile, wants students to avoid her mistakes. She takes teaching personal financial literacy \u2014 quite personally.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related<\/strong>: STAAR test results are out. See how your North Texas high school fared<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI have a lot of stories,\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cI tell them, \u2018Look, this is what happened to me.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Harris teaches a personal financial literacy<\/a> and economics course at Dallas ISD\u2019s Skyline High School, where she\u2019s worked for more than 25 years. In her classroom, cartoon piggy banks and coins emblazoned on posters line the walls. And when students leave her room, she hopes they will be better prepared to spend their money.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harris\u2019 class is optional \u2014 but soon, the topics she covers will be required learning. To graduate high school, Texas students are mandated to take a personal financial literacy course, starting with the freshman class entering this fall. The law<\/a>, which saw bipartisan support, was enacted in June 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The push for personal finance education is happening across the country. Surveys indicate low levels of financial literacy among American adults, but advocates say a class like this addresses the problem early on and tackles wealth disparities. To achieve long-term career success, school leaders say D-FW natives must be equipped with the skills to be financially stable and build generational wealth.<\/p>\n Julie Harris teaches a personal financial literacy and economics class at Skyline High School in March in Dallas.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n How to avoid credit card debt? Ways to pay for college? The responsibilities that come with purchasing a house?\u00a0A personal finance class aims to answer questions like these and help students make sound financial decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n The State Board of Education<\/a> is still formalizing the personal financial literacy curriculum standards, otherwise known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. On Friday, the elected 15-member board gave preliminary approval to the\u00a0TEKS.<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> Texas board gives preliminary approval to social studies standards tying Islam more closely to violence<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what I call the adult life skills,\u201d Harris said. \u201cBecause it’s credit, it’s budgeting, it’s how we make our financial decisions.<\/p>\n What is personal finance?<\/p>\n Currently, Texas high school students must earn at least three credits of social studies, including a semester-long economics course. They can choose between \u201cEconomics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits\u201d and \u201cPersonal Financial Literacy and Economics.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Both have aspects of personal finance weaved in \u2014 to varying extents. In the first course, students receive about 11 hours of personal finance instruction, according to Champlain College\u2019s Center for Financial Literacy<\/a>. The other class devotes about 45 hours \u2014 roughly 75% of course material \u2014 to personal finance.<\/p>\n Some districts, including Dallas ISD<\/a>, offer a separate personal financial literacy elective. But this class does not satisfy the economics requirement needed to graduate.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But with the passage of HB 27<\/a>, the class of 2030 will follow a different track. Personal finance becomes a mandatory standalone class, which supporters say allows for a deeper, more nuanced instruction. Economics transitions into an optional course.\u00a0<\/p>\n The law also directs the Texas Education Agency to compile a list of free curriculum resources that school districts may use to teach the course. An Advanced Placement class that substantially aligns with the material can also fulfill the requirement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related<\/strong>: Dallas College unveils plans, names developer for new downtown El Centro campus<\/a><\/p>\n Many Americans lack an understanding of basic financial concepts, such as how insurance works, types of investment and managing debt. For the past 10 years, American adults answered only half the questions correctly in an annual measure of financial literacy by Stanford University and TIAA Institute.\u00a0In 2026, Gen Z answered 38% of the questions correctly, the report notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those who understand money manage it better, experts say. Knowing basic financial skills is associated with saving regularly, dealing with debt better and having a higher confidence in retirement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Alejandra Ordaz\u00a0role-plays with her classmate to analyze real-world economic concepts during a financial literacy class at Skyline High School, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Thirty states have passed a high school graduation requirement for a standalone personal financial literacy class, according to Next Gen Personal Finance<\/a>, which pushed for the legislation and provides a free personal finance curriculum. Over two decades ago, not a single state had one.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes time for these big-ticket purchases, having a great credit score … makes a huge difference in terms of your ability to generate wealth,\u201d said Christian Sherrill, director of teacher success for Next Gen Personal Finance. \u201cThat’s my hope for Texas young people: better behaviors and decisions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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