Under the economic conditions that are new to Russia, young people are subjected to the influence of many factors. On the one hand, they are compelled to put up opposition to the economic system, while on the other hand they are compelled to be actively involved in it. In either case they have to solve the problem of how to survive in the system. Consequently, the adaptive mechanisms of today's young people must be developed sufficiently. Moreover, the lack of adequate economic knowledge, as well as fully formed norms of behavior, make the problem of the economic education of the younger generation a very relevant one. In this paper, the authors point out that providing economic education is an important task for Russian schools, since it is essential knowledge for all participants in today's market relations without regard to their age, sex, or place of residence. How such knowledge is used is also of crucial importance.