Join CENTS
Join CENTS
Young people investigate what their own school districts report about financial education, and build the national evidence base. Here is who can join, what you would do, and what happens next.
Where things stand
You can register your interest on this page. Submitting the form stores the details you enter in our database; see Data and privacy. Delegate roles are confirmed by hand, and no position is guaranteed.
You can also start now: read the delegate handbook, find your state on the state research pages, and read the methodology.
Register your interest
Tell us where you are and how you would like to take part. We keep only what the form asks for, and you can ask us to delete it at any time. Questions first? Write to [email protected].
Who can join
- Anyone 13 or older can take part as a District Delegate.
- Anyone under 16 takes part with a parent or teacher sponsor.
- Younger readers can learn on this site without signing up.
- The rules do not limit participation to particular states. A district has a single delegate.
- No prior policy experience is required. The handbook explains each step.
- Parents and teachers can also be delegates themselves.
What you would do
A District Delegate finds out what one school district reports about financial education before ninth grade.
- Read what your state’s law and standards say on your state page.
- Claim your district.
- File a public-records request for your district, using the request kit.
- Log each follow-up and reply: the type, the date, the method and a short note with no personal data.
- Keep verified findings separate from unanswered questions.
A district may not reply, and no result is promised. A missing reply is recorded as missing, not as evidence. Time: there is no required number of hours. To count as active, log at least one verified action in any 30-day period.
What happens when you join
- 1Open
Register your interest on this page
Use the form on this page to give a nickname, your email, state, an optional district, how you want to take part, and a yes-or-no confirmation that you are 13 or older. If you are under 16, you also give a parent or teacher sponsor’s email, and we contact the sponsor to confirm, not you. Questions? Write to [email protected].
- 2Available now
Learn the process and the safety rules
Read the delegate handbook, the methodology, the youth safety policy and the code of conduct. Anyone under 16 takes part with a parent or teacher sponsor.
- 3Launching
Start with one district-level task
Claim your own school district and file one public-records request, using the request kit. A district has a single delegate.
- 4When delegates are confirmed
Contribute documented findings
Log each follow-up and reply with its type, date and a short note, with no personal data. Verified findings stay separate from unanswered questions.
- 5No positions filled yet
Pursue leadership as it opens
There is no application. A State Director is appointed when a state has 3 or more active delegates, and a Regional Director is added when a region has 3 or more active State Directors.
Support and safety
Support
- A delegate handbook and the published methodology.
- A request kit, which is launching. Where we have verified your state’s public-records rules from primary sources the kit will show them; otherwise it will tell you to check the rules yourself.
- For anyone under 16, a sponsor who can review the request before it is filed.
Safety
- Adults with CENTS roles do not send private, one-on-one messages to anyone under 18. Communication happens in group channels.
- CENTS does not collect birth dates, ages, photos, home addresses or phone numbers. Age is a yes-or-no confirmation.
- Never put a student’s name or records, or anyone’s personal information, in a request, log or message.
Read the youth safety policy, the code of conduct and data and privacy.
Roles and leadership
Leadership is earned by taking part, not applied for, and no title is guaranteed. District Delegates feed State Directors, who coordinate delegates in a state. Regional Directors coordinate across states, and the national research brings state findings together. See how delegates and leaders fit together.
| Role | How it is earned | What it does | Positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Director | A title held without a name on this site. | Sets the research agenda and standards, reviews state data, and appoints Regional and State Directors. | Title only, no name listed |
| Regional Directors | Added when a region has 3 or more active State Directors. | Holds a monthly check-in with the State Directors in the region. | Open to earn |
| State Directors | Appointed when a state has 3 or more active District Delegates. | Supports up to 5 delegates and holds one board or teacher meeting a month. | Open to earn |
| District Delegates | Open to anyone 13 or older, or to a parent or teacher sponsor, who claims their own district. | Files the records request and logs follow-ups. | Open to earn |
Teachers and parents
A sponsor knows the young person is taking part, agrees to the code of conduct, is available to review the request before it is filed, and can ask for the young person’s data to be deleted at any time. Read the youth safety policy.
Share a correction
If a state page is wrong or out of date, send the page, what is wrong, and a link to the primary source. Email [email protected]. We check it against the source and fix or withdraw the entry, and add it to the change log. See corrections.