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