ECONOMIC EDUCATION: ASPIRATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS.

In recent years, widespread concern has been expressed over the low level of economic literacy of the general public. Since apparently only a small portion of all future citizen-voters will ever take as much as one economics course in college, attention has been increasingly focused on the possibility of developing at least a modicum of economic understanding through teaching in the high schools. Concern for this problem has developed gradually within the economics profession, culminating in the policy statement adopted by the American Economic Association's (AEA) Executive Committee in March, 1964 and the establishment of a new action-oriented Committee on Economic Education. Prior to this action the Association's previous Committee on Economic Education had for some years attempted to stimulate economists to help high school teachers and administrators with this task, mainly through attention to the problem at annual AEA meetings. During the past five years, however, a more concerted effort has developed, including at least four major projects, two of which have involved AEA participation or sponsorship.