Pew has a fascinating interactive that compares generations (Millennials, Gen Xers, Baby Boomers, Silent) and how their life experiences have changed as seen through data on educational attainment, labor rates, income and marriage rates. Here's one look at rates of female education:

Here's an interesting activity to get students to engage with their parents or grandparents. Think of it as a data-driven opportunity to have one of those "When I was your age" conversations. Your students can ask how their parents/guardians to guess how their lives compared with Millennials when they were the same age. They can then review the data from the interactive [use the WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG tab to get apple-to-apple comparisons] to see if their impressions were correct:

• How do you think college graduation rates have changed for men/women in the past few generations? What do you think is leading to these changes?
  • If you toggle to the IN 2017 button at the top of the chart, you might find an interesting stat male college completion rates across the generations. 
• Are there more or less men/women in the labor force today compared to earlier generations? What are the factors behind these trends?
  • If you toggle to the IN 2017 button at the top of the chart, you can see how many Silent (over 72s) are still employed. 
• Compare Veteran status between the Silent Generation and Millennials. How do you think this affected the worldview of these young people? What historical event led to so many veterans from that generation? 
• Where do most people in the U.S. live [check Metro status]? How has that changed over the past few years? 

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Looking for more great ways to engage your students? Check out NGPF's Interactive Library. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.