At KIPP DC College Preparatory School, students study budgeting, savings, accounting, investing, and managing risk, among other topics. Unlike many other high schools, the personal finance curriculum spans three years with a work-based learning component. The goal, according to Shavar Jeffries, chief executive officer of the non-profit KIPP Foundation, is 'breaking cycles of poverty.
' Through the program, I developed a lot of skills, such as managing my finances and investing in stocks,' Harris said. 'It laid down a good foundation for me.' Unlike other one-semester high school personal finance courses across the country, more than 160 students enrolled in the KIPP DC College Preparatory's NAF Academy of Business program study budgeting, saving, investing, and managing risk, as well as other topics, right through graduation. Some receive internship opportunities through First Generation Investors program. Additionally, internship opportunities pair students with nearby employers, including Ernst & Young, the Navy Federal Credit Union, and Verizon. The program is paid for, in part, through federal and local funding and administered by the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education. The goal of the program, according to Shavar Jeffries, chief executive officer of the non-profit KIPP Foundation, is 'breaking cycles of poverty.' KIPP DC College Prep caters to an underserved population of teens, and yet 100% of the senior class are accepted into at least one college, Jeffries noted, which is largely consistent with last year's numbers. 'We have too many young people who don't have the knowledge base to make smart financial decisions. When we can add that value and students bring these lessons home, that is also very powerful