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This article focuses on the major national economic indicators and how they changed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The indicators that are discussed include Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the unemployment rate, interest rates, inflation, and other variations of these measures. The authors also present data that sheds light on the monetary and fiscal policy responses to the pandemic. The authors explain these economic indicators with additional attention to what they measure and the limitations they may present. Teachers will be introduced to the Federal Reserve Economic Database (FRED), which is a rich source of graphs and information for teacher instruction and student research. Further classroom-based resources related to understanding the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are also presented.

The purpose of this article is to: (1) Examine the historical development of the Federal Reserve System; (2) Provide background on Ben Bernanke, the new Fed chairman; (3) Explain the basic tools of monetary policy used by the Fed; (4) Examine the causes of the Great Depression, a topic of special interest to Bernanke; and (5) Provide some key resources for social studies teachers who wish to teach about the Fed and monetary policy in their classrooms. Here, the authors talk about the challenges met by former chairman Alan Greenspan while in office, and how the new chairman Ben Bernanke was appointed. Among other things, they present a short list of "Most Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Bernanke." (Contains 1 table and 7 notes.)

This essay will consider a number of interesting questions related to the Brexit vote. We will first examine, What is this European Union (EU)-operation that Britain is leaving? Using an economic perspective, Britain's decision to leave the EU will be evaluated based on its costs and benefits to the UK. The result of the vote (commonly referred to as Brexit) implies that the British people believed the costs of staying in the EU outweighed its benefits. What are these costs and benefits? Considering these current event questions through the lens of economics can help provide valuable insights for students. INSET: Classroom Application: The Economics of Brexit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a pre- and post-test design, with control group, used to evaluate the educational effectiveness of Teaching the Ethical Foundations of Economics, a ten-lesson set of curricular materials published in 2007 by the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE). Using a sample of 875 students from diverse U.S. states, the report finds positive and statistically significant effects on a 25-question test of student learning about economics and ethics. It also finds generally positive results on an attitude survey about ethics given before and after exposure to Ethical Foundations. A regression analysis shows positive effects on student achievement related to the number of lessons taught and the students' educational aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]