DOCUMENT RESUME ED 130 056 CE 008 317 TITLE Consumer Education Reference Manual. INSTITUTION Tennessee Univ., Knoxville. State Agency for Title I. SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE Jul 76 NOTE 276p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.83 HC-$15.39 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Consumer Economics; *Consumer Education; Consumer Protection; Instructional Materials; Manuals; Services ABSTRACT This manual contains information for consumer education, which is defined as the process of imparting to an individual the skills, concepts, knowledges, and insights required to help each person evolve his or her own values, evaluate alternative choices in the marketplace, manage personal resources effectively, and obtain the best buys for his or her expenditures. Guidelines fin consumers are presented in 20 chapters:(14 Appliances, (2) Automobiles (including automobile insurance),(3) Clothing, (4) Credit,(5) Education,(6) Funerals,(7) Home Furnishings, (8) Housing,(9) Insurance, (10) Legal, (11) Medical, (12) Medicaid,(13) Medicare,(14) Money Management, (15) Schemes,(16) Selecting and Buying Food,(17) Shopping, (18) Social Security,(19) Wages (including unemployment compensation),(20) Welfare (including the food stamp program). Appendixes list state and local resource information, federal sources of consumer information and complaint, other agencies for information and complaints, and local consumer agencies for information, complaints, and legal services. Addresse in each appendix are listed under topical headings (e.g. family counseling, handicapped, nursing homes), and a topical index is provided for the manual as a whole. (WL) * Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * * materials not available from other sources.r,ERIC makes every-eftort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of-Marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the qnality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductiona * * supplied by EDRS are the'best that can be;made-from the original. * *********************************************************************** CONSUMER EDUCATION REFERENCE MANUAL `. Statewide Cocrdinator: State Agency for Title I 106 Student Services Building The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee 37916 . 615-974-5181 Participating Institutions: East Tennessee State University Memphis State University Motlow State Community College Tennessee State University Tennessee Technological University The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee, Knoxville The University of Tennessee at Martin The University of Tennessee Environment Center Partially funded under Program IMPACT, Community Service and Continuing Education: Title I, Higher Education Act of 1965 July 1976. TENNESSEE STATEWIDE CONSUMER EDUCATION PROGRAM Mrs. Virginia H..Knauer, Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs, has defined consumer education as "the process of imparting toan individual the skills, concepts, knowledge, and insighs required to help each person evolve his or her own values, evaluate alternative choices in the market- place, manage personal resources effectively, and obtain the best buys for his or her expenditures. In addition, consumer education must help people under- stand the rights and responsibilities of an informed consumer in the free enterprise system." During the fall of 1971 the State Agency for Title I joined with interested institutions of higher education, government agencies, and communitygroups to develop a program that would meet the consumer education needs of Tennesseans. The Tennessee Statewide Consumer Education Program has been partially supported by federal funds under HEA Title I from January 1972 through December 1976. Initial program activities were directed to those who work with the low-income consumer--human service counselors, community ac'tion aides, VISTA volunteers and others. Activities were then expanded to provide inservice workshops and consumer-education curriculum development courses for teachers in selected public school systems-in an effort to integrate consumer education into the existing school curriculum. Other activities have provided information and materials directly to senior citizens, residents of public housing projects, Head Start parents and staff, and the general public. A mass media.component provides consumer releases to newsoapers and.radio and television stations, and also publishes a monthly.newsletter--The TENNESSEE CONSUMER--for previous partici- pants in project activittes and others who request it. .The Tennessee Statewide Consumer Education Program is a cooptixative effort involving the following institutions of higher education and State agencies: East Tennessee State University, Memphis State University, Motlow State Community 3 College, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, The University of Tennessee at Martin, The University of Tennessee Environment Center, the State Agency for Title I (HEA 1965), the State Department of Educa- tion, the State Department of Public Health, the State Department of Human Services, the Tennessee Community Services Administration, the Tennessee Energy Office, and the State Division of Consumer Affairs. The program has been developed by the Tennessee Statewide Consumer Education Planning Council, consisting of project directors from participating institutions and representatives of government agencies. The current membership is: Chairperson:Mr. Bill Radcliff, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Vice Chairperson: Mrs. Martha Overall, Motlow State Community College Mr. Daniel Russo, East Tennessee State University Dr. Lloyd Brooks, Memphis State University Dr. Lillian Chaney, Memphis State University Mr. Marvin Adkins, TenneSsee Technological University Dr. Jean Groezinger, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Dr. George Wagoner, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Mr. John Gammill, The University of Tennessee at Martin Dr. John Gibbons, The University of Tennessee Environment Center Mr. Paul Martin, State Agency for Title I Ms. Cresa Bailey, Tennessee Community Services Administration Mrs. Ann Eaden, Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs HONORS The Tennessee Statewide Consumer Education Program has been cited by the U. S. Office of Education as a model for statewide programming under Title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965. It has also been recognized by the HEW Office of Consumer Affairs as one of the most comprehensive consumer education programs.in the country. The Tennessee Statewide Consumer Education Program was selected asone of only 200 community service projects across the country to be included in the "Horizons on Display" Bicentennial program.Selection was made by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the American Revolu- tion Bicentennial Administration.. "Horizons on Display" is a major national program, highlighting for others those community achievements that represent successful, on-going efforts to deal with cOmmunity needs. "Horizons on Display" will open a dialogue among communities and will provide a forum for information exchange among citizens, private organizations and all levels of government. This tribute to community achievement should remindUS thatour mutual goal is to improve the quality of life for all Aluericans. The Horizons theme recognizes that the,process of community problem solving remainsa powerful force for positive growth and change in America today. Any persons or groups interested in additional information concerning the Tennessee Statewide Consumer Education Program may contact the State Agency for Title I or the participating institution in their area. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The material in this reference manualhas came from several sources. This material was initially adapted in 1972from a similar document developed by the: Georgia Consumer Services Program Department of Family and Children Services 15 Peachtree Street, N. E. Atlanta, Georgia 30303 This manual has been revised several timessince 1972 and an extensive revision was undertaken by the StateAgency for Title I in the spring and summer of 1976. In addition to the assistance of members of the Planning Council in reviewing and revising this material,we want to thank the following individuals for their specificcontributions. East Tennessee State University Dr. William Fisher Dr. James Frierson Mr. Ron Weir Memphis State University Dr. Herman F. Patterson Tennessee State University Mr. Richard E. Jackson Mr. Harold J. Smith The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Ms. Mary Jo Cochran The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Mr. Jerry Becker Dr. Betty Brown Dr. John Gibbons Dr. Charles Noel Ms. Lovella Richardson The University of Tennessee at Martin Mr. Bill Fron Mrs. Evelyn Harper Tennessee Department otlinpan Services Mrs. Mary Lou Chambers The time-consuming task of incorporating all of theserevisions in the various sections was performed by Mr. MaxBrown, a graduate assistant in education vi 6 involved in the project segments conducted by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The various sections of the manuscript were typed by Mrs. Sherrie Bennett, Mr. Scott Ellis, and Mrs. Barbara Reeves. Karen Abbott, Deborah Kirkpatrick, and Connie Thompson voluntarily