The United States population is economically illiterate. This means that children are not being prepared to think about the hard choices ahead. Economics is the science of making choices and establishing priorities and trade-offs in the face of scarcity. It is a realistic approach to the problems that we face. In terms of our national survival, economics education is as important as reading and math, yet schools do not typically offer economics classes. Dumke recommends making economics a school subject starting in first grade. The gaol is to enable people to cope effectively with the economic dimensions of their daily lives and of public issues. He discusses his proposal for economic education centers, and the report of his Task Force on Economic Education.