New documentary highlights financial literacy at Allentown middle school

Working Class, filmed at Raub Middle School in Allentown, examines how financial education can influence student confidence, family choices and economic mobility. First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union backed the project and plans to use screenings and community events to extend the conversation across the region.

Why it matters: - Financial literacy is framed as a practical tool that can shape confidence, choices and future opportunities for students and families. - The documentary connects classroom money lessons to broader questions of educational equity and economic mobility in the Lehigh Valley.

What happened: - Working Class is a new documentary filmed at Raub Middle School in Allentown. - The film follows a semester inside the school’s Financial Literacy Program. - The documentary focuses on students, families and educators learning how money works. - First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union served as a lead underwriter and financial literacy partner.

The details: - The film uses personal stories and practical lessons to show how access to financial knowledge can affect decision-making. - First Commonwealth has supported financial education initiatives in the Allentown School District for several years. - Donna LoStocco, president and CEO of First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union, said financial literacy is about more than money and is tied to confidence, opportunity and brighter futures. - LoStocco said the credit union is honored to support the project and the students, educators and families involved. - The documentary is intended to support continued conversations about financial literacy, educational equity and economic opportunity. - The film can be viewed at Working Class movie.

Between the lines: - The project positions financial education as a community issue, not just a classroom topic. - The partnership with a local credit union suggests an effort to connect school-based learning with real-world banking and money-management support. - The documentary also serves as a public-facing example of how local institutions can reinforce long-term economic mobility efforts.

What's next: - The film is expected to be shared through screenings, educational events and community partnerships across the region. - Those events could widen the audience beyond Raub Middle School and extend the discussion to more families, educators and community leaders. - First Commonwealth says it will continue supporting financial education through banking services, education and community partnerships.

The bottom line: - Working Class turns a school-based financial literacy program into a broader case for how money education can expand opportunity.