Murder at the Margin - Econ Nerd Mysteries Part 2!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

I teach Advanced Placement Microeconomics to high school seniors. Our population is 90% minority split nearly evenly between African-American and Hispanic students. In addition we have a 67+% free and reduced lunch rate and a 77% transiency rate. As a result, our school faces many unusual challenges that are not typical of all schools. Due to these types of challenges and the stereotypes that often accompany them, our students are often misjudged regarding their academic prowess and people are surprised to hear of their successes. However, the students do not let this stand in their way and simply use every opportunity to overcome and change perceptions about themselves and our school. I’m trying to open their eyes and minds to a changing economy and I could really use your help.

My students live in a somewhat affluent county in our state, but are far from the wealthy or the elite. Most (98%) are of low socioeconomic status and many work to help pay bills at home (out of the 1600 students at our school, only 30 can afford cars to drive, the rest ride the bus or walk everywhere they go). As a result, their lives often differ greatly from those of students in other parts of our county. Money doesn't flow often into our school and when it does, though greatly appreciated, it doesn’t really begin to cover everyone's needs. To compensate, our students fund raise for everything they need and look for bargains wherever they can find them. However, even with these challenges, our students are committed to learning. Every year our advanced placement classes grow in numbers with new students who want to go to college and see these classes as a way to challenge themselves and increase their chances of acceptance to college/university. Unfortunately funding for materials in these classes has a much greater demand than supply so some classes often find themselves going without the academic materials that would greatly assist their students.

For students learning economics, especially advanced placement level classes, real world application can be a struggle as they attempt to process new concepts and theories. To combat this problem, many teachers use non textbook readings to supplement these ideas and give students the opportunity to view economics in a non academic light. One such book used by many teachers I’ve talked to is called “Murder at the Margin” by Marshall Jevons. In this book, the author has his main character use economic theory to solve a murder mystery. It’s an interesting hook to draw students in and teach them new ways to apply economic thinking skills. As a result, their academic prowess increases as well as their interest in economics itself. And as we all know, being interested in a subject leads to a much greater level of success.

If you’ve decided to check out my little proposal, then you are already aware of the growing importance of an understanding of economics in today’s world. Your help will ensure that my students get the opportunity to further develop their reasoning skills, understanding of economics and the economy and their application abilities which will serve them well in college or the work force. Basically by helping my students, you can make a difference for their lives and someday, when they are fully productive members of our world, your own as well.