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Of all the lessons taught by the financial crisis, the most personal has been that we Americans should not be proud of our financial skills. We take out home loans we can't afford. We run up sky-high credit-card debts. We don't save nearly enough for retirement.

In response, supporters of financial-literacy education are raising their voices. School districts in many states are adding money-management courses to their curriculum. The government is encouraging students to compete in the National Financial Capability Challenge. However, there is little evidence that traditional efforts to boost financial know-how help students make better decisions outside the classroom. Even as the financial-literacy movement has gained steam over the past decade, scores have been falling on tests that measure how well students perform in marking financial decisions.

Given the situation, a growing number of researchers and educators agree that a more radical approach is needed. They advocate starting financial education a lot earlier than high school, putting real money and spending decisions into kids′ hands, and encouraging students to talk openly about the emotions and social influences about spending.

Yet even the skeptics are slow to write off financial education completely. "We need to rigorously study the financial decisions of alumni like Ariel and Alex and compare with those too speculative to recommend one education approach over another." says Mike Sheden, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who is conducting a seven-year study on Whether giving children real bank accounts would result in long-term smart financial decisions. Yes, good, solid research like this takes a lot of time and resources, but it is in our own best interest to pursue it.

What does Mike Sheden think of the financial education of Ariel and Alex?( )