New York City's High School for Math, Science & Engineering Named Nation's Top High School Teaching Personal Finance

NEW YORK, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Working in Support of Education (W!se), a leading educational nonprofit, has announced its 2019 ranking of the "100 Best W!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance" during a ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange sponsored by Voya Financial®. The High School for Math, Science & Engineering in New York City earned first place. Chicago's Youth Connection Charter School and Virginia's Richmond Community High School took second and third place respectively.

Now in its seventh year, the "100 Best W!se High Schools Teaching Personal Finance" is the first and only national ranking in high school financial education, recognizing excellence in personal finance instruction among W!se's national network of schools that participate in its Financial Literacy Certification program.

"We are delighted to honor this year's top 100 schools and congratulate the students, teachers and administrators from these schools for their outstanding achievement," said Phyllis Frankfort Perillo, President and CEO of W!se. "To earn a place in the ranking reflects a dedication and commitment to financial education and all should be proud of their work."

Speakers at this year's ceremony included Chris Taylor, Vice President, Listings & Services, New York Stock Exchange, and Martin Smit, managing director, Head of Strategic Relationship Management, Voya Financial.

"Voya Foundation is proud to support organizations like W!se that are helping the next generation become financially resilient," said Martin Smit. "Developing financial literacy skills early on makes a significant difference in the lives of young people among different demographics by equipping them with the expertise and financial knowledge necessary to compete in the 21st century workforce and manage their income to and through retirement."

W!se's award-wining Financial Literacy Certification program supports personal finance instruction at high schools in 48 states. Participating schools teach a course on personal finance and administer W!se's Financial Literacy Certification Test after instruction. Students passing the Test become Certified Financially Literate(TM) (CFL), a nationally recognized credential. W!se provides professional development, a curriculum aligned to national and state standards and other value added teaching tools to support instruction. Teachers and schools are recognized based on student performance on the Test.

The "100 Best" ranking is determined based on the average Certification Test score from each school with consideration given to the number of test takers and the socio-economic background of the students at each school.

For the complete list of this year's 100 Best schools, click here.

About W!se
Working in Support of Education (W!se) is a leading educational nonprofit based in New York City with a mission to improve the lives of young people and at-risk adults through programs that develop financial literacy and readiness for college and the workforce. For more information, visit wise-ny.org. Follow W!se on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @wisenewyork.

About Voya Financial®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings -- to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13.8 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $8.5 billion in revenue in 2018. The company had $467 billion in total assets under management and administration as of Dec. 31, 2018. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible -- one person, one family, one institution at a time -- Voya's vision is to be America's Retirement Company®. Certified as a "Great Place to Work" by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has been recognized as one of the 2019 World's Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute; as a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index; and as a "Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion" on the Disability Equality Index by Disability:IN. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @Voya.

About Voya Foundation
Voya Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life in communities where Voya Financial® operates and its employees and customers live. Voya Foundation provides grants and establishes signature partnerships in the areas of financial literacy and children's education and fosters employee engagement to deepen our positive impact on the community. For more information, visit http://www.voyafoundation.com.

Media Contacts:

Andrew Carter
Finsbury
646-581-1708
andrew.carter(at)finsbury.com

Mary Jo Rohrer
Working in Support of Education (W!se)
212-421-2700
mjrohrer(at)wise-ny.org

Tiffany Hawks
Voya Financial
212-309-8915
tiffany.hawks(at)voya.com

SOURCE W!se