JUSTIFICATION

Higher Education

· Potential increase in graduation rates due to students feeling prepared for higher education.

· Lower high school dropout rate (reducing school to prison pipeline and teen pregnancy).

· Possible increase in higher education enrollment rates; and completion of higher education institutions.

Economics

· Students will learn how to be analytical in financial literacy and management.

· Increase knowledge in critical thinking skills, data, marketing, and research skills.

· Trained on employment preparation and workforce development.

Agriculture

· Research on agriculture and students suggests that students who participate in gardening score significantly higher on standardized science achievement tests (Klemmer et al., 2005).

· Gardens containing fruit and vegetables help to revise attitudes about particular foods. Students are more likely to try eating vegetables they have grown themselves and to ask for them at home

(Morris & Zidenberg-Cherr, 2002).

· Gardens offer many examples for gaining insight into the long-term human impact on the natural environment.

Sources:

Klemmer, C.D., Waliczek, T.M. & Zajicek, J.M. (2005). Growing Minds: The Effect of a School Gardening Program on the Science Achievement of Elementary Students. HortTechnology. 15(3): 448-452.)

Morris, Jennifer, & Zidenberg-Cherr, Sheri. (2002). Garden-enhanced nutrition curriculum improves fourth-grade school children’s knowledge of nutrition and preferences for some vegetables. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 102(1), 9

Technology

· According to the BPS data, students from low-income families who enroll in computer/information sciences are more often academically prepared than did their peers who were younger from high-income families.

· According to SecureEdge Network, integrating technology into the classroom is an effective way to connect with students of all learning styles and if used correctly, will help prepare students for their future careers.

Mind to Money

-Closing the Mental Health-Wealth Gap.

-According to NPR, income was the biggest predictor of differences in health outcomes.

-According to HelpGuide, research has shown a connection between financial worries negatively impacting an individual's mental health.

-Living in a poor or low-income household has been linked to increased risk for mental health problems in children and adults that can persist across the life span.

Sources:

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/10/health-wealth

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5192088/ (taken from the abstract)

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/28/736938334/the-gap-between-rich-and-poor-americans-health-is-widening

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/coping-with-financial-stress.htm