Over 20 years ago, our sensitivity to the cultures of both public schooling and business enterprise guided the development of a ground breaking partnership in California between the California schools and Crocker National Bank. In 1981, PILP/CLP launched BANK-ED, an unprecedented school-business partnership that was adopted by all of California's 1,041 school districts. BANK-ED—an economics curriculum with accompanying supplemental teaching materials that satisfied a 1977 California state mandate to teach personal economics in the public schools—was ultimately disseminated to all elementary, middle, and high schools throughout California.

NEWSWEEK ~ May 10, 1982, reported:

"We are reminded every day of how little young adults know about managing their finances" says Crocker National Chairman John Place. "Our role in developing BANK-ED let us meet some real needs of the schools and students." Crocker kicked in $750K for development of materials and served as a model for other sponsors in other states.

The success of BANK-ED could lead to further cooperation between the private sector and public schools. "I think we have broken some ground," says John Hunt, a state education official. But BANK-ED is a good investment. "Let's face it," says Crocker's John Place, "better informed customers mean fewer loan defaults and better customers for banks."

Both parents and state education officials were delighted with the program, which even drew a rare endorsement from the National Education Association.