New on GameUp!

"Budget Hero" Added to BrainPOP's Free Resource for Top Educational Games

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Budget Hero," the computer game, designed to help people of all ages understand the Federal budget and the underlying issues that shape it, is now offered on the free resource GameUp™,  BrainPOP's collection of cross-curricular game titles from leading publishers.

Click Here to Play Budget Hero on GameUp

"Budget Hero" invites players to explore the impact of different cuts and expenditures as they create and test their own budget policies. Students choose "badges" that represent their values and goals -- economic stimulus, national security, the environment, school funding, energy. As the simulation progresses, participants "play" policy cards, deciding whether to fund or cut spending on initiatives like clean energy research, federal housing assistance, education for disadvantaged children, infrastructure maintenance, and health care for senior citizens. The budgets "go bust" when money runs out for anything but Social Security, health care, and interest payments; they are complete when they reflect a player's chosen values and/or yield a desirable result.

As it does for all titles showcased on GameUp, BrainPOP pairs "Budget Hero" with a selection of related content that facilitates the game's effective classroom use.

"Few subject areas are more relevant to 21st century learning than Financial Literacy -- which is also an area that's difficult enough for adults to fully grasp, much less kids. Adding "Budget Hero" to our GameUp offerings is a tremendous step towards clarifying complex issues that affect the world on a daily basis," said Dr. Avraham Kadar, BrainPOP's Founder and CEO.  "We are proud to have partnered with The Wilson Center and American Public Media's Public Insight Network on this invaluable initiative."

"By putting young players in the driver's seat, 'Budget Hero' engages players and makes difficult policy arguments clearer," said Jane Harman, Director, President and CEO of the Wilson Center. "GameUp, with its carefully vetted selection of educational titles and supporting materials, is an excellent showcase for 'Budget Hero.' Kids everywhere will now have access to the game and its key lessons, while their teachers will benefit from resources to help them integrate it into their curriculum easily and smoothly."

"'Budget Hero' has proven a great way for hundreds of thousands of Americans to begin to understand the complexity of the questions facing our nation when it comes to the budget," said Mike Reszler Vice President Digital Media, American Public Media. "By partnering with BrainPOP and the Wilson Center, we are helping to engage teachers and students in the same exercise of understanding the myriad of decisions that go into shaping the budget."

About BrainPOP
BrainPOP® (www.brainpop.com) creates animated, curricular content that engages students, supports teachers, and bolsters achievement -- in classrooms, at home, and on mobile devices. Our award-winning online resources include BrainPOP Jr. (K-3), BrainPOP, BrainPOP Espanol, and, for English language learners, BrainPOP ESL. We are also home to GameUp, a free educational games portal for the classroom. All of our resources are supported by BrainPOP Educators, our free professional community. BrainPOP sites and mobile apps support individual, team, and whole-class learning in traditional, blended, and "flipped" settings. Our content is mapped to Common Core, aligned to academic standards, and easily searchable with our Standards Tool. BrainPOP global sites host more than 11 million visits each month.

About American Public Media's Public Insight Network (PIN)
American Public Media™ (APM) is one of the largest producers of public radio news, entertainment and cultural programming in the world. The Public Insight Network® from American Public Media uses intelligent sourcing and community engagement to assist journalists in creating news coverage that is credible, relevant, in depth and diverse. For more information, visit PublicInsightNetwork.org.

About The Wilson Center
The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world.

SOURCE The Wilson Center