A Case Study in Success:
Maricopa Community Colleges
In the spring of 2004, South Mountain Community College, along with other Maricopa Community Colleges, introduced a unique and mind-changing personal finance course based on the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and co-author Sharon Lechter.  

The Maricopa Community College District is comprised of ten colleges and two skill centers. The initial series of classes took place in the spring of 2004 on four Maricopa Community College campuses. The four colleges represented various demographic and economic regions of Maricopa County. South Mountain Community College took the lead role in implementing and executing the initial phase of Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Course. 

The model used for the course was eight weeks in length with one meeting per week. The content consisted of thirteen course modules based on the books Rich Dad Poor Dad and Rich Dad's CASHFLOW Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. Embedded within the course design is the allocation of two "Game Days" in which the entire class period is dedicated to playing CASHFLOW 101 board game.

Results and Impact
The results from the initial set of courses revealed a deep hunger from the students for a different view, one that counters the traditional viewpoints of personal financial strategies. An independent research team was hired to evaluate pre and post test information highlighting the increase in financial knowledge and mastery of course concepts. The results of this survey were outstanding, but the real gauge of success was the large numbers of students taking proactive approaches to changing their personal financial situation. Another outcome of the classes that surprised the faculty members was the large number of CASHFLOW® Game clubs that sprung up as a result of the financial insight gained by playing the game during the course. Students expressed confidence that the game was an effective tool for learning and reinforcing personal financial strategies.