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The World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org/html/schools/
What kind of web site allows you to explore world
climate change while looking up recipes for Latin
American and Caribbean foods? The answer may surprise
you: the
World Bank. No ordinary bank, the World Bank is actually
an international development organization owned by
more than 180 member countries, rich and poor. Its
role is to reduce poverty by providing development
assistance to its poorer members — often called “developing” countries — and
to countries whose economies are in transition. The
loans are intended to increase economic productivity
and improve the standard of living in these countries.
Research and education are important components of
the World Bank’s mission. Its staff members sort
through a lot of data before making a loan, and much
of that
information has found its way onto a web site the
Bank has developed for students and teachers. The
site contains
a variety of valuable information that can be used
both in and out of the classroom. The site is easy
to use. The data sets range from international trade
to
water and sanitation. Because there is so much information
on such a wide variety of topics, you have the option
to explore the data yourself or use one of a variety
of tools that format the data into usable chunks.
In fact, there is an entire set of learning modules
that
focus on sustainable economic development. The site
also provides a global forum that allows high schools
from around the world to interact with each other
and discuss issues like technology in the classroom.
This
is a great resource for students working on social
studies projects and for social studies teachers
seeking a global perspective.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
http://www.bls.gov
http://www.bls.gov/k12/index.htm
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
As you might have guessed, this is the site to get figures for
things like average hourly earnings and the current U.S.
unemployment rate. But you can also get an idea of what it
might be like to work in TV, or how much you might expect
to earn as a stockbroker.
Be sure to check out:
- Economy at a Glance
- How Much People Earn
- Kids’ Page
- Monthly Labor Review
- Occupational Outlook Handbook
White House Economics Statistics Briefing Room
http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html
The Economics Statistics Briefing Room is furnished
with lots of quality economic data. The Executive
Branch has taken some of the legwork out of economic
research
by giving users access to statistics on employment,
income, world trade, money, output, prices, production,
and transportation— all in one place and in a format
that’s easy to use.
Bureau of the Census
http://www.census.gov
Have you ever moved to a new place and wondered
if there would be any kids your age? How does your
new
town or state compare to your old one — is it bigger,
smaller, or maybe exactly the same? Maybe you never
thought of the Census as a useful classroom tool,
but it contains a lot of practical information that
can
help you answer questions like these. Visit www.census.gov to
discover where you fit in. (The “For Teachers” section
has free downloads of teaching and reference materials.)
Bureau of Economic Analysis
http://www.bea.gov
The BEA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and its
website presents lots of useful information in a format that’s
easy to navigate.
Be sure to check out:
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To find out how much value an industry adds to
GDP, check out the Interactive Data Tables under the
“Publications” tab.
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Click the “FAQs” tab to find out, among other things,
how it’s possible for personal savings to be negative.
Statistical Resources on the Web
The University of Michigan Documents Center
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stecon.html
An excellent portal site for economic statistics – as comprehensive
as its title promises.
FRED® - Federal Reserve Economic Data
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2
Created and maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St.
Louis, FRED is a database of more than 19,000 U.S. economic
time series.
Be sure to check out:
GeoFRED™ http://geofred.stlouisfed.org is “a datamapping
tool that displays color-coded data on the
state, MSA and county levels. For example, GeoFRED
can display unemployment, labor force and population
for all U.S. counties. Users can select among 12,000
FRED® data series and customize these printable maps
according to size, scope and detail.” And there are lesson
plans, too!
The Inflation Calculator
http://www.westegg.com/inflation
The Inflation Calculator will adjust “any given amount of
money for inflation, according to the Consumer Price Index,”
going back to 1800.
Measuring Worth
http://www.measuringworth.com
Making value comparisons between one historical period
and another is never an easy task, but this site gives you tools.
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