ABSTRACT
The chapters in this volume are mainly focused on economic education at the secondary level-but how much economics do students know as they walk in the door to those classes? How much should they know from economic education at the primary (K-3) and intermediate (4-6) grade levels? This chapter will spend a good deal of time examining the relevant literature on K-6 economic education in order to build a case for it. Specifically, this examination will pose and answer three questions:
• Can young children learn and apply economic concepts? • If they can learn such concepts, should these be taught in the
elementary school curriculum? • If they can learn such concepts and we deem these concepts
worth including in the K-6 curriculum, how should we teach for economic understanding among young children?
