| National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship | | | | The National Foundation for Teaching |
| Funds Programs in Miami Schools | | | | Entrepreneurship will, over the next two years, |
| This summer, 126 students from Miami Schools | | | | establish programs in 20 Miami Schools resulting in |
| entered a six-week training session and contest | | | | the program being accessible by nearly 3,400 |
| to learn about entrepreneurship. Funded and run | | | | middle and high school students. Some schools will |
| by the National Foundation for Teaching | | | | offer more than just the summer contest but |
| Entrepreneurship, the six week summer session | | | | integrated into the curriculum. A Miami business |
| will teach the students how to create a business | | | | lawyer and one of the judges who helped pick |
| plan, how to secure start up funds and then how | | | | the finalists, stressed issues pertaining to the |
| to pitch the idea to real business people. The | | | | insurance and salary of the employees. This is the |
| twelve best plans will compete in the National | | | | same issues that he would address with actual |
| Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship Macy's | | | | entrepreneurs. Several of the students from |
| 2006 Business Plan Competition. Only one winner | | | | Miami Schools in the program have attempted to |
| will represent Florida in New York in October with | | | | actually start a company. One student in the |
| a chance to win $10,000. | | | | contest, Steve Rodriguez, has created X-Paks, a |
| The Miami Schools system has some of the | | | | company that sells drawstring backpacks that can |
| highest dropout rates in the state of Florida. One | | | | be produced in the shape and color the client |
| of the principal reasons for this may be that | | | | wants. The sixteen year old is an aspiring engineer |
| students a bored and do not see how their school | | | | that wants to go on to MIT. He hopes that word |
| work relates to the real world. The National | | | | of mouth marketing will lead his company to |
| Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship contest | | | | success. His partner is his mother who does the |
| shows how owning a business relates to math | | | | sewing and shares in half the profits. |
| and reading skills. This gives a meaning and a | | | | Another student in the competition, Elise Lorenzo, |
| relevance to education. A study by the Harvard | | | | has created a plan for a company call Envision |
| Graduate School of Education found that students | | | | Art. This high school sophomore's company plan, |
| exposed to entrepreneurship classes are more | | | | based around creating an online art gallery, won |
| interested in education, are more likely to go to | | | | points with the judges for her creative use of an |
| college and more likely to engage in independent | | | | S Corporation structure, which will allow her to |
| reading than their peers. | | | | reflect company profits on her personal tax |
| New National Foundation for Teaching | | | | returns. |
| Entrepreneurship Programs in the Miami Schools | | | | |