Love is in the Air..And So is Econ!
Program Tips & Tidbits
Welcome to February! This past week has been one we hadn't planned on, and we are sure that is true for many of you. Hopefully you stayed safe and warm through the snow, sleet, and ice.
We managed to get The Stock Market Game Luncheon in just before the winter storm hit. You have a few more days to get in the spring session if you aren't already participating. Remember to select PAY LATER when it asks for payment. We will take care of the rest. Register here.
Remember we have some additional competitions we would love for you to participate in if you teach in the middle school or high school level. If you teach 7th-12th students, please consider participating in our Pitch It! competition. If you have 9th-12th grade students, then the Economics Challenge and Personal Finance Challenge are for you! This year there will be a qualifying round. Place your students into teams of 3-4. They will be able to go online and take a test of knowledge which will qualify our top performing teams to participate in the state finals on March 13 in Conway. You will find more details below.
Love is probably in the air in your classroom. Guess what? There are LOTS of great economic connections, also. The graphic comes from the National Retail Federation. Consumer spending on Valentine’s Day for 2026 is expected to reach a record $29.1 billion this year. Check out the full survey here.
Remember to check out our event calendar for both webinars and in-person professional development offerings in February.
Let us know how we can assist you.
Sincerely,
Marsha, on behalf of Economics Arkansas
Calling All PreK-12th Grade Educators!
We know you do amazing things in your classroom! We officially invite you to submit a project that you have done with your students this year in our Bessie B. Moore Awards Program. The only way to win is to submit a project. The project submission may be as short as a 3 day unit to an entire year unit of study.
Winning projects receive a big check for your classroom, a real check for $1,000, a basket of goodies, and the coveted Bessie statue! If you submit the project solo, the entire cash prize is yours. If you work with a team, you split the cash.
To learn more about the program, check out our website here. You will find the entry form here and some sample entries.
The deadline isn't until August, but you can submit your projects at any time during the year. Winners will be announced during Econ Ed Month in October.
Check out this photo of our winning teachers from this past year! They smiled all the way to the bank đŸ˜€.
7th-12th Grade Competition
We know you have creative students in your classroom. Challenge them to think of a new product for the market that might solve a problem, improve on a product, or entertain. They then pitch their idea in a video clip, and you upload it to our platform for judging. There are cash prizes!
If you are looking for some easy lessons to get your students thinking, check out our iNSPIRE series here.
To learn more about the competition, visit our website here.
DEADLINE TO PARTICIPATE: FEBRUARY 20th!
We are excited to announce the 2026 Economics Challenge and Personal Finance Challenge!
Please join us for one or both of these student competitions.
NEW THIS YEAR:
There will be an online qualification round which will give more 9th-12th grade students the opportunity to participate. Teachers will roster teams of 3-4 students. Students will individually take on online test in your classroom on the date you choose from January 1 - February 20. The test takes 30 minutes or less and you will get the results.
The top-scoring teams (one from each school) will advance to the in-person finals on March 13, 2026 at UCA. More information is available about each competition and the final round on our website. Please let us know you have questions.
If you participate with your students, you will be entered in a drawing for a $50 door prize in for each challenge.
To register for the Economics Challenge, click here.
To register for the Personal Finance Challenge, click here.
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There are many economic connections with holidays. Valentine's Day is a great way to make economic connections. Check out some fun resources for all grade levels here.
K-12 Educators
Do you have a YIPPE Exchange Account with Young Entrepreneur Institute? It's free to set up! You shop with points you earn. There are many free resources to use for all grade levels. Economics Arkansas has just added two products and are working on some more!
Create a free account here.
A matching grant launched today to support economic and financial literacy project in Arkansas. If you have a creative approach to introducing economics into your classroom, please take advantage of this opportunity.
Please make sure you emphasize the ECONOMICS and FINANACIAL LITERACY to support your project. Be sure to include the keywords that best describe your project like: finance, financial literacy, economic education, entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, career readiness, or workforce development. Items such as food, hygiene, and flexible seating will be excluded from this match.
The grant will be live until all funds have been used. We look forward to seeing your project requests!
Post your products here.
Our professional development offerings are available to Arkansas educators under contract for the 2025-2026 school year.
We will be sending 1099 forms to all participants who have received $600 or more in payments or stipends during this calendar year. In order for us to be incompliance with the IRS, a current, complete W-9 form must be on file with our office when the $600 threshold is met.
You will receive an email with a request to complete the form. Thank you so much for your assistance with this requirement.
All e-checks will be voided 60 days after issue. Please remember to download and enjoy them! Contact us if you need assistance.
Several have asked where and how to retrieve professional development certificates.
Here are some important steps:
- Log in to your Economics Arkansas account here .
- On the left side of the page, you will see the tab CERTIFICATES.
- You may download individual certificates by date of the professional development offering.
- At the top right hand corner of the page is a link titled "DOWNLOAD TRAINING SUMMARY YTD." This will give you a list of all offerings you have attended this calendar year.
- Some of our offerings were through ESC Works. You may retrieve your certificates through their portal by logging in here.
- If you have any issues, please contact us. We would love to assist!
Contact us. We would love to assist.
Lisa lisa@economicsarkansas.org
Marsha marsha@economicsarkansas.org