Making sense of money
Award-winning teacher Robert Trialonas is congratulated by David Anderson, president and CEO of W!se.
As the state prepares to expand financial education in public schools, 11 New York City schools made the top 100 and a Queens teacher received the Outstanding Educator Award in a national ranking of schools that excel in teaching personal finance.
New York City-based nonprofit and UFT partner W!se — Working in Support of Education — honored the top schools at an April 13 celebration at UFT headquarters. City schools ranked among the top 20 were:
- HS for Math, Science and Engineering at CCNY in Manhattan (4th)
- Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School on Staten Island (5th)
- HS of Economics & Finance in Manhattan (11th)
- Midwood HS in Brooklyn (13th)
- Aviation HS in Queens (16th)
- Queens Gateway to Health Sciences (19th)
Five other local schools ranked among the top 100:
- Benjamin N. Cardozo HS in Queens
- Eleanor Roosevelt HS in Manhattan
- Queens Technical HS in Queens
- Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical HS in Queens
- Urban Assembly Gateway HS for Technology in Manhattan
The Outstanding Educator Award went to Robert Trialonas, a 21-year veteran at Queens Gateway who was cited in part for leading his students to victory this year in W!se’s inaugural Student Stock Showdown, a statewide stock trading simulation.
“Providing students with an appropriate financial literacy program before they leave high school is as important as any course they could possibly take,” said Trialonas, whose students in the Showdown had the highest average per-student return on their simulated investments, earning their school a $10,000 prize.
Educators have an array of engaging and real-world-oriented activities to teach students financial skills, said Trialonas — a six-time winner of the annual W!se Gold Star Teacher Award, which is given to educators with 93% or more of their students passing the W!se financial literacy certification test.
In addition to the Student Stock Showdown, Trialonas’ students took part in the Campus Coin Invest Fest at St. John’s University and the Youthpreneur Summit at York College. He hopes the $10,000 Showdown prize will be used to create a dedicated space at Queens Gateway to help get students excited about finance.
New York State is not among the 30 states that require a standalone personal finance course before students graduate high school, according to W!se. However, the state Board of Regents recently adopted regulations requiring instruction in personal finance for public school students, beginning in 2026–27 for grades 5–12 and the following school year for the lower grades.
As the state prepares to expand personal finance instruction in schools, Staten Island’s Gaynor McCown offers a notable example of how financial education can resonate with students beyond the classroom.
Being among the top 10 on the W!se list this year was a first for Gaynor McCown students, who usually find themselves among the top 100.
Gaynor McCown co-teachers AnnMarie Daber and Jennifer Devine educate students about bonds, CDs, investments and understanding credit, among other financial topics. “Our alumni come back and say it’s the most important course that they’ve taken,” Devine said.
Helping students avoid having to learn about finances “the hard way” later in life is gratifying, said Daber.
One of their students recently opened a high-yield savings account, and Devine showed him how to work the app on his phone. “It’s not like we’re just teaching them content — we’re teaching them life and they’re using it,” she said.