To achieve a fully participatory society, all participants should receive equal opportunities for understanding the processes of acquiring, managing, and developing financial resources. The author argues that financial education processes do not meet the needs of all children, because they does not account for differences in child development prompted by various economic contexts. He contends that these contexts prompt judgment patterns among individuals having economic differences and that efforts toward social equity necessitate the exploration of moral issues related to personal finance. He recommends use of the arts to enable student discovery and reconciliation of financial judgments so that students may construct understandings of the social issues that prompt financial inequities and may explore ideas to challenge them.

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Thomas A. Lucey, Ed.D. joined the faculty of Illinois State University in August of 2005 as an assistant professor in social studies education in the College of Education. He holds an Ed.D. in instruction and curriculum leadership from The University of Memphis. His research interests concern financial education, social justice, and related instructional issues. Contact information: tlucey@ilstu.edu, Curriculum and Instruction, Campus Box 5330, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-5330.