The Certified Financial Education Instructor coursework meets standards for the highest of academic rigor. Throughout course development, clear performance expectations were designed that now are referenced by organizations around the globe as benchmarks for financial educator standards.

Those who graduate the coursework take their place among the most highly-qualified personal finance educators in the world, with ability to teach essential money management concepts effectively to people of all ages.

To illustrate the learning outcomes and performance benchmarks, the NFEC developed the Framework for Teaching Personal Finance. This research-based set of components align with InTASC standards, and are grounded in a constructivist view of learning and teaching. This Framework breaks down teaching financial literacy into 22 components recognized as the best practices in the industry. To date, the NFEC is the only organization to clearly define the knowledge, performance expectations, and skill sets in which financial educators should demonstrate competency.

To highlight successful accomplishment of the coursework, graduates receive a customized Certificate, digital badge, and CFEI Graduate logo. This recognition distinguishes the CFEI graduate from the average person teaching personal finance, and provides acknowledgement that showcases their credibility. Among the abundance of untrained financial educators today, these credentials highlight graduates’ qualifications and help them stand out from the crowd.

Academic Rigor

CFEI instructor coursework was designed to meet highest standards for academic rigor, and has been accepted by the CFEI Board of Standards® for Continuing Education credits.

Framework for Teaching Personal Finance

This research-based framework, aligned with InTASC criteria, is the first set of standards specifically developed for teaching personal finance.

CFEI Public Recognition

Graduates of the Certified Financial Education Instructor coursework receive a Certificate, digital badge, and CFEI Graduate logo.

Based on Danielson’s Framework for Teaching

Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, the most widely-used teaching model in the U.S., was the NFEC’s solution for developing learning benchmarks for financial education instructors.

The Framework for Teaching Personal Finance

The Framework for Teaching Personal Finance is the only national standards for financial education instructors. This framework identifies the educator responsibilities proven by empirical studies and theoretical research to produce the highest gains in participant test scores. This comprehensive, coherent structure provides clear benchmarks to enhance educators’ professional development.

The NFEC chose to partner with Danielson Group consultants to modify Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching to meet the specific needs of Financial Education Instructors. The Framework for Teaching is the most widely-used teaching model in the United States, and has been adopted as the single model, or one of several approved models, in more than 20 states.

The Framework for Teaching is backed by evidence-based research and wide acceptance by educators, administrators, policymakers, and academics. It identifies skill sets educators should possess and performance levels that define instructor capabilities. These qualities are what led the NFEC to select the Framework for Teaching as its solution for developing benchmarks for financial education instructors.

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