The twenty content standards embody the essential principles of economics and the essential reasoning and decision-making skills that indicate what students should be able to do with their knowledge of economics. The efficiency of technology holds out the prospect of improved economic education as students gain access to almost unlimited sources of data. Teachers unsure of their economic knowledge are able to almost instantly find answers to questions. Most important, when time is scarce, teachers will have access to lesson plans without having to leaf through a number of separate sources of information. Economic education has been modified through the Internet access that many teachers and students now enjoy.
Students have instant access to data that was unimaginable five years ago.
The Internet is not the sole source of economic education materials. The initial program was distributed to more than 50,000 teachers and administrators in a series of workshops during 1996. New features in the updated version include advanced placement economics resources, the national and state content standards in economics, and materials related to The Stock Market Game. Furthermore, teachers will be able to print out a majority of these materials for classroom use. The programs provide teachers with multiple explanations for concepts they may not understand, or find difficult to teach.