Making Economics Meaningful for Students

The Fund for American Studies’ Liberty and Leadership podcast features FTE’s own Amanda Stiglbauer, a longtime member of our team who recently stepped into the role of Economic Education Curriculum Fellow. With more than six years at FTE, Amanda now leads the development of a new, timely program, Economic Forces in American Civics, for America’s 250th anniversary.

In the episode, Amanda explores the ongoing challenge of strengthening economic literacy in today’s classroom and explains why active, student-centered learning is essential to building lasting understanding. She describes how interactive instruction encourages students to engage with economic concepts, think critically, and apply ideas beyond the lesson.

Amanda also shares how her early interest in teaching shaped her passion for economics over time, and how discovering the economic way of thinking gave her a clearer lens for understanding choice, incentives and patterns that influence the world around us.

Additional topics discussed include supply and demand, the true cost of tariffs, the differences between personal finance and economics education, the role of institutions in long-term prosperity, and the relevance of the Economic Freedom of the World Index produced by the Fraser Institute.

Listen now to learn more about Amanda and discover practical ways to bring the economic way of thinking into your classroom.