International Journalist Focuses on Ames High

's finance courses may have just become a financial literacy model to the world.

An international journalist, Daisuke Nakai, chose Ames High School teacher Rhonda Schmaltz as the subject of his in person interview for an international financial education story for Japan's daily leading newspaper the “Asahi Shimbun.”

He and his colleagues have been writing a series on how countries like Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. are increasingly incorporating financial literacy into their lesson plans.

Jump$tart Coalition, a group of organizations dedicated to improving youth's understanding of financial literacy said Schmaltz was one of a handful of teachers who would make a good source.

Here in Ames, Nakai was also able to meet Tahira Hira, an professor who is considered an expert in financial education.

Thursday Nakai asked a few questions and took several photographs during Schmaltz' personal finance course.

“The one thing you can't get over the phone is the photo,” Nakai said.

Japan doesn't include financial education in its national curriculum but some schools do it on their own he told Schmaltz.

Schmaltz teaches personal finance and other business and computer courses at the school. Her finance course is considered an elective but Schmalz believes it should be a graduation requirement.

In the class students learn about finances, keeping a budget, filing taxes, loan interest and more. They also interview their parents about how their finances affected their lives.

Schmaltz said it opens the door for a conversation that parents and children might not have otherwise.

All Iowa High Schools are required to include some type of financial literacy in their curriculum by the fall of 2012. Ames started offering personal finance three years ago, Schmaltz said.

“Ames is already ahead of the game a little bit,” she said.