Economic Education Events

The Soul of Our Economy: Uncovering Stories of Economic Challenge

Summer Professional Development

June 22 – 24, 2021

Virtual

In this year’s Summer Professional Development virtual sessions, “Soul of Our Economy: Uncovering Stories of Economic Challenge,” Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas researchers and subject matter experts delivered presentations, lively discussions and classroom-ready materials examining current economic issues and how they affect the communities in which we live.

Agenda

Day 1

June 22: The Stories Behind the Data
9:00 a.m.	Welcome and Introduction Roberto Coronado, Senior Vice President and Senior Economist
9:05 a.m.	Session 1: Paradox of Unemployment Joe Tracy, Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor to the President Paradox of Unemployment This session explains how wage growth accelerated as the unemployment rate increased during the pandemic and how the composition effect led to average hourly wages increasing.
	Moderated Q&A with Joe Tracy Moderator: Tamara Redic-Cottrell, Economic Education Outreach Advisor
	Application in the Classroom Tamara Redic-Cottrell
10:00 a.m.	Session 2: Real-Time Data and Real-Time Problems Keith Phillips, Assistant Vice President and Senior Economist Real-Time Data and Real-Time Problems This session provides an overview of how the Dallas Fed used high-frequency data during the pandemic to develop two new data sources. The Texas Weekly Employment Estimate provides a timely indicator of job growth in Texas between official updates to the state’s employment data. The Mobility and Engagement Index summarizes the geolocation data collected from mobile devices to gain insight into the economic impact of the pandemic.
	Moderated Q&A with Keith Phillips Moderator: Morgan Ackley, Economic Education Advisor
	Application in the Classroom Morgan Ackley
11:00 a.m.	Session 3: Busted State Budgets, Critical Local Choices Jason Saving, Senior Research Economist and Research and Studies Director Busted State Budgets This session explains the effects of COVID-19 on tax revenues, lessons learned from the Great Recession and the trends in the data that can help you better understand the current economic situation.
	Moderated Q&A with Jason Saving Moderator: Rodolfo Acosta Perez, Outreach Advisor
	Application in the Classroom Allison Clark, Exhibit Specialist
11:55 a.m.	Lunch Break
12:40 p.m.	Session 4: Connections to the Classroom Come together with colleagues from other schools to share your best lessons, resources, ideas or expertise. Educators selecting this session will need to prepare their materials to share. Educators will be assigned to small breakout rooms to share best practices.
	Teacher Q&A Allison Clark Morgan Ackley Tamara Redic-Cottrell
	Breakout room workshops Allison Clark Morgan Ackley Tamara Redic-Cottrell Rodolfo Acosta Perez
2 p.m.	Conclusion Armida Riojas, Director, Outreach

Day 1, session 1

Day 1, session 2

Day 1, session 3

Day 2

June 24: Embracing Change
9:00 a.m.	Welcome and introduction Armida Riojas, Director, Outreach
9:05 a.m.	Session 1: Rise of Cryptocurrency: Central Banking and Supervision in the Age of Bitcoin Ally Hoffman, Senior Risk Specialist Rise of Cryptocurrency This session will take a deep dive into cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, Bitcoin, stablecoins and central bank digital currencies.
	Moderated Q&A with Ally Hoffman Moderator: Seth Dunbar, Outreach Advisor
	Application in the Classroom Tamara Redic-Cottrell, Economic Education Outreach Advisor
10:00 a.m.	Session 2: The Fed’s Strategy Change; Acknowledging a New Environment Enrique Martínez-García, Senior Research Economist and Advisor The Fed's Strategy Change This session provides an overview of the new inflation-targeting policy developed by the Federal Reserve and how the traditional 2 percent inflation target language has changed.
	Moderated Q&A with Enrique Martínez-García Moderator: Morgan Ackley, Economic Education Advisor
	Application in the Classroom Morgan Ackley
11:00 a.m.	Session 3: Using Media and Pop Culture in the Classroom Dirk Mateer, Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, the University of Texas Using Media and Pop Culture in the Classroom In this session, Mateer will share how he uses multimedia to engage students in his economics courses and the resources available on his website.
	Moderated Q&A with Dirk Mateer Moderator: Allison Clark, Exhibit Specialist
11:45 a.m.	Lunch break
12:55 p.m.	Session 4: Connections to the Classroom Come together with colleagues from other schools to share your best lessons, resources, ideas or expertise on the topics of economics, finance and/or college and career readiness standards. Educators selecting this session will need to prepare their materials to share. Educators will be assigned to small breakout rooms to share best practices.
	Teacher Q&A Allison Clark Morgan Ackley Tamara Redic-Cottrell
	Breakout Room Workshops Allison Clark Morgan Ackley Tamara Redic-Cottrell Rodolfo Acosta Perez, Outreach Analyst
2 p.m.	Conclusion Armida Riojas

Day 2, session 1

Day 2, session 2

Day 2, session 3

All presenters are from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas unless otherwise indicated.

For More Information

Please contact Cathryn McClellan at cathryn.mcclellan@dal.frb.org.