Why is education about risk and decision-making important?

1. Why is education about risk and decision-making important?

2. A key time in young lives • During high school, students set the pattern for their adult decision-making • Their choices — more so than earlier ones — have major effects on their adult lives Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

3. The world teenagers facehas become more complex • Job requirements of a modern economy • More choices on health • Increases in credit and borrowing opportunities • New risks not fully present in earlier generations Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

4. The problem • High School students face new freedom • Will they manage freedom properly or take too many chances? • Four key areas: education, health, credit, risk Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

5. Educational choices and risks • Many students don’t understand opportunity cost or their choices fully • Affluent students may seldom be required to make hard choices • Poor students may think they have no choices Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

6. More education will be necessary • Occupational outlook: All but one of the 50 highest paying occupations will require a college degree • Other fast-growing occupations require high school and more Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

7. The knowledge-based economy • Rewards people with technical skills • Common occupations such as auto mechanics are now much more technical • Few high-paying jobs for the unskilled Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

8. Dropout rates a threat • High school dropouts are 8.8% of the population • Dropouts face reduced opportunity • African-American and Hispanic dropout rates significantly higher Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

9. Education summary • Teens face many risks on education choices • Video 1 shows opportunity, and discourages dropping out Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

10. Health choices and risks • Teenagers face key choices about their health • They make decisions that may affect their lives dramatically Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

11. Changing views on health • Formerly, we “left it up to the doctor” • Today, we are increasingly aware of how our choices affect health: diet, exercise, and smoking, for example Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

12. The risk of smoking • Teen years a key time for smoking decisions • Tobacco use may cause 440,000 deaths per year • CDC: Single most preventable cause of death Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

13. The risk of inactivity • Many health risks are correlated with levels of physical activity • CDC figures show • 69% of 12-13 year olds are physically active • Only 38% of 18-21 year olds Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

14. Health summary • Those who make good health decisions promote their physical and financial well-being • Video 2 shows how excessive risks hurt health and wealth Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

15. Choices and risks involving credit • Teenagers face new risks • Credit more widely available than ever • Powerful media messages urge people to spend Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

16. Getting credit is no problem . . . • Card issuers seek younger customers • Fraction of 18- and 19-year olds having their own cards:1/3 and rising • College students especially targeted Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

17. . . . managing credit can be a problem • Teen emphasis on “buying now” may overshadow “paying later” • Most (80%) don’t know how long until payoff if they only make minimum payment Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

18. Teenagers need credit skills • How to understand their credit reports and credit scores • How to read their credit statements • Informed consumers less likely to be hurt by identity theft Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

19. Credit summary • Teenagers need to understand that credit can be their best friend or their worst enemy • Video 3 helps teenagers understand credit Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

20. Decisions on risk • Teenagers have many new freedoms that bring risks • Driving, although important, is not the only one Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

21. Driving risk • Only 4.9% of licensed drivers are 19 or under • But they have 11.6% of the fatal accidents • Over twice the risk of general population Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

22. Helping teens understand insurance • Teenagers can control their insurance costs through careful risk management • Big expense, whether paid by teens or their parents Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

23. Helping teens manage risk • Teenagers are resistant to preaching and lectures about risky behavior • But they can learn about managing risk • Video 4 shows how Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?

24. In conclusion:the need for education • Left to their own, youth give less consideration to the consequences of risk than the average adult • Yet some early decisions have consequences far down the road • Important to reach students before they make key decisions Why Is Education About Risk and Decision-Making Important?