Entrepreneurship Everywhere
Sample Entrepreneurship Education
Programs in the United States
LOUISIANA
Ben Franklin High School,
Free Enterprise/Economics
Michael D. Hess, Instructor
Ben Franklin High School
Orleans Parish School System
2001 Leon C. Simon Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70122
504-286-2600
Fax: 504-286-2642
Email: mhess@iopener.net
Web site: http://www.gnofn.org/~bfsenior/
Focus: High school seniors are required to take the Free Enterprise/Economics
class
Geographic Area: A public city-wide access school serving a very
divergent student body
Products and Services: High school class
Age Level: 12th graders
Abstract: In the Free Enterprise/Economics classes, each section
creates their own business. The economics student company provides students
with the opportunity for a hands-on experience in the business world.
Students conduct market research, raise capital through the sale of
stock, produce and sell a product, and maintain company records. The
student company teaches responsibility and provides leadership opportunities
in addition to an appreciation of the economic principles learned in
class. The course is student directed, and students are allowed several
choices relative to interests and talents. Profits are shared with various
charities chosen by the students.
Over a seven-year period, Free Enterprise/Economic classes have donated
$24,386 to various student chosen charities or community service organizations.
Certificates of merit have been awarded to the class by two mayors of
New Orleans, the current governor of Louisiana, and the United States
House of Representatives. Twice we have been featured on local TV news
programs. In 1999, a full half-hour program was produced for the school system
cable channel highlighting the Franklin Free Enterprise/Economic program.
The Heritage Academy for Girls' Inc.
Victoria M. Garrett, Founder and Executive Director
The Heritage Academy for Girls' Inc.
5833 West Rio Drive
Baton Rouge, LA.70812
225-926-0223
Email: vmgarret@bellsouth.net
Web site: www.theheritageacademy.com
Focus: Empowerment for young girls
Abstract: The Heritage Academy for Girls' Inc. is a faith-based leadership organization whose mission is economic empowerment for girls' through entrepreneurship and investment training. Victoria Garrett, founder of the Heritage Academy for Girls' Inc. a native of Louisiana is a recipient of Oprah Winfrey's "Use Your Life Award".
Ms. Garrett, a former teacher, saw a lack of self-esteem and motivation among the third grade girls that she taught. She observed that the girls in her class were becoming dependent on boys for money to get their hair and nails done. They were looking for a "Suga Daddy", falling into a cycle of dependent behavior very early. Ms. Garrett was extremely disturbed by her observations and decided she needed to find a method of empowering these girls to be self-sufficient.
An entrepreneur, Victoria took action using her personal savings as she started The Heritage Academy for Girls Inc. The Academy is holistic in its approach to service, recognizing the need for parental involvement and developing innovative ways for parents to create better lifestyles for themselves and their families.
The Heritage Academy offers 8 different program components:
- Saturday Academy
- Summer Academy
- Entrepreneurship
- Parent Empowerment Network
- Mentoring
- Community Service
- Abstinence
- Investment Training
North Caddo High School,
The Market Place
Terry Elmore, DECA/Marketing Education Teacher Coordinator
North Caddo High School
201 Airport Drive
Vivian, LA 71082
318-375-3258
318-375-5090
Fax: 318-375-5210
E-mail: telmore@aol.com
Focus: DECA Sales and Marketing Company (also known as "The
Market Place")
Age Level: High school marketing education/DECA students,
DECA associate members
Abstract: As a favor to the principal of the school, the DECA
organization was asked to help get
the yearbook out of debt so the school could begin to publish the books
again. The class was
organized into a business with various departments, concentrating on
sales and service. The
students became the outside sales people as well as being assigned a
department such as
development, marketing, design, and customer service. In one year, the
yearbook went from
having debt of $13,000 to breaking even.
Recognizing an opportunity (other than learning experiences), the students
developed a proposal
and presented it to the principal. They would continue to sell yearbook
ads and take on the
additional responsibility for a commission if they could form a business
based on commission sales.
The commission would be based on a sliding scale determined by the amount
of ads sold. The
business did not actually design the yearbook or take pictures, etc.
Their business was simply
sales, design of customer advertisements, promotion of ads, sales of
the yearbooks, and customer
service to the advertisers.
From this initial business venture, the company has grown and now offers
sales and marketing services
to all school-wide sales, most school club/organization sales, and feeder-school
fundraising sales.
The latest venture has been in marketing community activities.
Outcomes of the program include:
- The business now markets and sells all schoolwide activities.
- The business is now offering services in the feeder junior high
and elementary schools.
Another business that has developed includes specialized gift sales.
The company
determines one to three items that would quickly sell at Christmas and/or
graduation time
and offer the items through the school and festivals being held during
that time.
The business works well with the historical society and helps with their
promotion and
sales—sometimes for a small commission and sometimes for civic responsibility.
Results
from those activities lead to other fundraising opportunities for students,
such as cleaning and
restoring a historical museum, working booths at one of the largest
festivals in the area, etc.
Several civic groups have recruited the services of the company to promote
and sell various
activities, such as the Redbud Festival, Antique Days, Vivian Christmas
Festival, etc.
The business grew to include the sales and marketing of all school-sponsored
activities. Students in
the business develop and promote activities such as beauty pageants,
suppers/dinners at school,
dances, homecoming, and other specially designed activities. In addition
to the promotion, the
company handles all sales of tickets. A commission based upon sales
is determined prior to the
activity, which provides another learning experience for students. It
also serves as a motivation for
students.
The business also handles all school organization fundraising activities.
They make presentations on
the best type of fundraiser to have (candy, t-shirts, calendars, gifts,
etc.), locate the appropriate
vendor, and work out a better "deal" for the organization
than the basic offer, and participate in the
ordering, inventory, promotion, and collection for the fundraiser. The
organization members
actually do the selling of the product. When sales are slow, however,
DECA members either help
with sales or provide a new sales or motivational tool to stimulate
members. A pre-determined
sales commission is decided prior to each fundraising activity.
Terry Elmore is a marketing education teacher coordinator and DECA
advisor. His background in
marketing and strong rapport with civic and business community leaders
have helped develop the
sales company. North Caddo is a comprehensive high school located in
a small town, serving
surrounding townships. The visibility of the program and student involvement
has secured
community support. The teacher encourages and allows students to make
the business decisions
and determine growth of the company.
St. Tammany Parish Public School
Jeff Burgoyne
High School Teacher
St. Tammany Parish Public Schools
210 Riviera Drive
Slidell, LA 70460
985-639-0544
Fax: (985) 892-9894
E-mail: jwbfhs@stpsb.k12.la.us
Focus: We serve a wide array of students in our secondary level Entrepreneurs
in Action program. They include students from moderate to low-income families,
are ethnically and socially diverse, and have varying academic level.
Geographic Area: Louisiana
Age Level: The students all attend public high schools, mainly ninth and tenth grade
Abstract: This program and line of research looks at the efficacy
of web-based youth entrepreneurship education at the high school level.
A particular effort is put forth to gain understanding into the dynamics
of entrepreneurship education as it relates to the 'big picture' in education
- Does web-based entrepreneurship education have an effect on the learning
of children at the secondary educational level? And if so, how?
Entrepreneurship educational research is central to many of the ideals
of renewed education in the United States, and encompasses aspects of cognitive
process and child development, curricular reinvention, and systemic educational
change. In this project, students will be exposed to particular "real-world"
problem scenarios, and interactively over time, work to solve the problem(s).
The small group/individual high school students will work with one another
to research, analyze, synthesize, and formulate a plan to attack the main
problems they encounter and identify in the case scenario. The utilization
of web-based resources, including posted articles, content specific media
presentations and on-line expert email interactions will become the key ingredients
in gaining an understanding of the problems they face. The student groups
will work over a set period of time to ultimately formulate business plans
and create and deliver presentations on their learning.
The culminating projects and presentations will encompass every aspect
of a well-conceived business plan. The projects are developed so as to promote
multi-disciplinary, holistic interaction of traditional subject matters (i.e.
math, science, and language arts) into a smooth and seamless educational
transition. High School education in the United States tends to follow a
discipline-specific curriculum, with students learning to multiply and divide
only in math class, read in English classes, and studying about organisms
only in science class. The project seeks to ascertain the benefits of holistic
and inter-disciplinary education, emphasizing innovation, creativity, and
problem-solving skills, through the use of entrepreneurship education.
Walker High School,
Green and White Cookie Site
Debra Wilson, DECA/Marketing Education Teacher Coordinator
Walker High School
P0 Box 249
12646 Burgess Ave.
Walker, LA 70785
225-664-4825
Fax: 225-667-8657
E-mail: DKS003@aol.com
Focus: DECA/marketing education students, both coop and non-coop option;
grade 10 entrepreneurship class; grades 11–12 marketing education classes.
Also includes associate DECA members' participation in business.
Abstract: The business originated as an Otis Spunkmeyer cookie-sales
business. However, the
agreement with the school was that the only sales that could be made
at school would be done
after the lunch shift. Therefore, the company became a direct-sales
company, with each student
responsible for promotion of sales outside of the school for one full
week during the school year.
Because of weekly promotions, the company quickly expanded to include
balloon bouquets,
cookie bouquets, stuffed animals, etc., to meet the demands of the customers.
Within the first year,
the company became a catering company for local business meetings. Students
secured the
business, produced the menu, set up the dessert table, delivered the
products, and served when
asked.
The company is now more than a cookie, catering, and gift-sales company.
This year it is
becoming a sales and marketing company for other organizations at the
school. The company will
promote organizations' sales, secure the product (t-shirts, candy, etc.),
track the inventory, sell, and
close the sales projects.
Unique features include:
- Cookies are sold in the community by students through promotion
activities (cookies are not sold in school).
- Every student is responsible for a one-week promotion in which he/she
is in total charge of the entire activity, from creating the idea/promotion, to production,
to consumption.
- Because of the off-campus sales, other businesses have emerged,
including Catepug
Company, Balloon I Cookie/Gift Bouquets, Delivery Service.
The expansion of the business within the first year made the business
more than a cookie factory at
the school. No cookies were sold at school at the beginning of the business.
When the business
did begin selling them at school, the selling period was limited to
only about 10–15 minutes each day.
All students are assigned a week during the school year to develop
their own promotion for the
cookie company. They have to decide upon the promotion, theme, products,
supplies, budget,
ordering, vendors, etc. It is their responsibility to determine the
cost of the finished product and
make the sales. Sometimes, the students lose money on their project,
and if they do, are
responsible for helping the next student make enough profit to cover
their loss.
This business made an impression on the community. Students were soon
called upon to cater
meetings at the mayor's office, the Chamber of Commerce, and school
board meetings. This led to
civic groups contacting the business, and from this, the business has
grown. Delivery service is an
added benefit, and one that the students added to the mix.
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