Teachers and parents prepare students for college in all manner of ways — from researching majors to living away from home for the first time.

But studies have shown that one area in which students graduating high school and heading to college are woefully unprepared is financial literacy.

This week, the state Senate took steps to correct that for Pennsylvania students.

A bill introduced by Sen. Daniel Laughlin that would require schools to provide students with the opportunity to take a personal finance class in lieu of another graduation requirement was passed unanimously by the legislative body.

Although taking this measure one step further — requiring students to take a personal finance class — might go an even longer way toward making Pennsylvania college students more financially literate, the Senate’s move was a step in the right direction.

Under Senate Bill 723, students would be given the chance to replace a required social studies, home economics, math or business course with a class on personal finance starting in the 2021-2022 school year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that nearly 70 percent of high school graduates enroll in college the semester after graduation. Pennsylvania students average more than $35,000 in student debt — the highest average in the nation, according to LendEDU, an online marketplace focused on student lending.

A study conducted this year by nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance, which connects educators with resources to equip students with financial knowledge and skills, noted that only one in six U.S. high school students is required to take a personal finance course for graduation. The study found that in 23 states, less than 5 percent of students during the 2018-2019 school year were required to take such a course.

So, Pennsylvania legislators are on the right track with Senate bill 723.

“(Laughlin) sees struggles that students have right after they graduate, whether it’s when they get to college or after, by opening credit cards and things like that, and you end up hurting your credit for years after that,” said Matt Azeles, Laughlin’s chief of staff.

The student loan crisis has been an issue of much discussion in recent years. While U.S. students who struggle to afford a college education will likely continue to be straddled with debt loans for years to come, providing students with personal finance experience from a younger age will enable to them to think critically about their spending.

We encourage the state legislature and Butler County schools to expand this curriculum.