Look beyond the conduct of the large banks, investment firms and government oversight, and at the heart of the nation’s economic crisis one finds Americans with precious little knowledge about the complicated financial world in which they dwell. The housing crisis is but one area where people readily accepted mortgages they could not afford and now find themselves facing foreclosure and bankruptcy as a result.

The crisis could therefore be termed as one of financial literacy, the absence of which leaves Americans struggling to navigate the complicated waters of the nation’s banking, investment and credit systems. Promoting that body of knowledge — as many top state officials in North Carolina are now doing — is not only worthwhile, it is absolutely crucial to providing a stronger, more stable framework for the country.

Students at J.H. Rose High School were this week treated to a visit by state Treasurer Janet Cowell and Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson as part of a statewide tour to promote financial literacy. Gov. Beverly Perdue has proclaimed April to be Financial Literacy Month, and those two officials are leading the charge to encourage more in depth discussion of that topic in public schools.

Pushing such a curriculum is desperately needed since the world young adults enter can be unfamiliar and dangerous. A credit misstep or poor investment decision can haunt people for years, affecting credit scores and all manner of financial opportunity. By emphasizing instruction of money management skills in public schools, it provides children with a greater chance to avoid those pitfalls.

In Greenville, Rose High students enjoy financial literacy instruction thanks to state grant money, but it is one of only four schools to implement such a curriculum. Only three states require a full semester of instruction, though North Carolina is one of 17 states teaching partial financial literacy. That may change in the coming legislative session as lawmakers are likely to see a proposal this year that would expand that program. U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan is pushing the effort on the federal level, hoping to include her proposed financial literacy program with No Child Left Behind reauthorization.

In truth, any expansion of this instruction will be a benefit to the next generation and, in the long term, this country. By providing Americans with a road map to the nation’s financial system, officials can curb the type of behavior that helped facilitate the economic downturn.