Teenage Consumer Price Index Project

 

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Welcome to the Connecting Classrooms TCPI Project

*Note - We are currently revising the Teenage CPI Project. Please come back in the Fall for the start of the new project. If you would like add suggestions, email us at information@fte.org.

Background: The Teenage Consumer Price Index (TCPI) Project began in fall semester, 1998, when 40 high school classrooms across the country participated in the creation of a market basket of goods and services frequently purchased by teenagers. In the following weeks, some of those classes investigated the prices of items in the basket. Consequently, we can now use the fall, 1998 Teenage Market Basket as a base that allows us to calculate an index - a numerical representation of changes in the price level of goods and services purchased by teenagers - the TCPI.

Fall Semester , 2001, TCPI Schedule now available

FTE's Connecting Classrooms hosts the TCPI project each semester. All 3 TCPI lessons are available for use in teacher planning all summer, and a new data collection phase will begin with the fall semester. Dates for data submission are posted in the chart at the bottom of this page.

Step 1: In Lesson 1, students are asked to create and submit lists of goods and services commonly purchased by teenagers. While approximately 40 classrooms participated in the creation of the list last fall, we would like to solicit more data and use it to either verify or modify the existing list.

• New participants: If you would like to participate in the creation of the market basket list, conduct lesson 1 with your class. If you would like to use the existing list and proceed directly to the collecting of data, skip lesson 1 and begin with lesson 2.
• Past participants: If you have new classes second semester, we welcome you to again submit results of lesson 1.

Step 2: Lesson 2 directs students to collect and submit price data on the items in the Teenage Market Basket. Using a spreadsheet program, FTE collates the data you submit and calculates the price of the basket.

• New participants: Lesson 2 begins with a list of the items in the Teenage Market Basket. Also included in the lesson are directions to students for the collection and submission of data.
• Past participants: Please note that the market basket list is the same as that posted for spring, 1999. Beginning this fall, we are soliciting list submissions from lesson 1 only for the purpose of checking to see whether teenage buying patterns change - as, for example, with the introduction of new products. The market basket list will be changed only if we see strong evidence of a significant change in teen buying patterns.

Step 3: Lesson 3 leads students through the process of calculating the TCPI. This lesson displays the TCPI calculated from prices submitted by students during spring semester, 2000, and base year data collected in fall, 1998. (As the project continues, we will create an archive, adding the new price data.)

• New participants: You may use lesson 3 without participating in lessons 1 and 2. The lesson leads students through the calculation and interpretation of a price index, using the data submitted by students across the country. Also included in the lesson are links to CPI sites and activity suggestions that extend student learning.
  
  

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  Dates for Fall, 2000 TCPI project now available

  Remember that you can choose - to participate in all or parts of the Connecting Classrooms activity or to use the TCPI lessons within your own classroom.

  • The web site and the lessons can be used by individual students, by groups of students, or by entire classrooms.
  • You may choose to participate in all, or only in parts of the project.
  • You may enter and leave the project at any time.
  • You may schedule your participation in the project to meet the time demands of your course or school calendar.

  If you wish to participate and submit data to the project, please note the following schedule:

  Lesson 1	Creating the Teenage Market Basket of Goods and Services	submit data any time through Thursday, October 18th
  Lesson 2	Pricing the Teenage Market Basket of Goods and Services	submit data no later than Friday, November 16
  Lesson 3	Calculating the TCPI	necessary data will be available Wednesday, December 5