CLASSROOM BUSINESS ENTERPRISE

A program for TEACHERS

Increasing knowledge of

Economicsand Entrepreneurship

How to effectively manage classroom businesses from start to finish and encourage students to see themselves as potential entrepreneurs.

103 Teachers Have Been Trained and are implementing Classroom Businesses in the14 county area that is North Central Indiana WIRED

Indiana University Kokomo Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) - were also trained. They provided assistance to Kokomo-area classroom teachers helping student businesses with marketing, production,

and other aspects of business.

2700 students throughout our region are projected to be affected!

These teachers, their schools, the students and parents will have an immeasurable impact and will truly help create a

Culture of Entrepreneurship in NCI.

IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS

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Teachers went through the program to learn how to operate a Classroom Business. This unique network of teachers spanned 14 counties . It is a rarity to have so many teachers from one geographic region trained at the same time; this type of training is usually done in isolated instances. WIRED funding provided a unique situation, flooding the region with enthusiastic teachers all working on the same mission. This allowed them to share ideas and support as they began the process of running a classroom business.

Each classroom decided on a product or service that they thought consumers would purchase.

The students produced and marketed the product using any profits for other classroom needs or to provide seed money for future businesses.

A Unique Opportunity

Classroom Business Enterprise provided solid, standards-based economics instruction to accompany the classroom businesses.

Students learned important economics and business concepts that are tied to the Indiana State Social Studies Standards. 

Approximately 800 CBE students took pre- and post-tests on economics and

business content.  The average overall percentage gain on four levels of testing was

38.3%, which was significant to the 99% level.

The Indiana Council for Economic Education, part of the Purdue Department of Agricultural Economics, administered this extensive project.

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Economics and Entrepreneurship: Operating a Classroom Business

This curriculum explains how to organize and run a simple real-money classroom business. It also introduces the economic and business concepts that can be taught to students along the way.

The curriculum comes with four tests, an attitude survey to give students, and a Literature Connection, which describes various children's literature books that reinforce economic concepts.

For teachers interested in helping their students understand the world of economics and business, this program is an excellent fit.

Students from one school were able to visit the State Capital building for the annual Awards for Excellence program.

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CLASSROOM BUSINESS ENTERPRISE

Here is a story from a teacher about a student who came to the Classroom Business Enterprise Business Showcase at Purdue University:

One of the students affected by this program had very little at home and none of his family members had ever been to college. He enjoyed the Classroom Business and seemed to especially relish the responsibilities of selling and marketing. During the day at Purdue, it became apparent that he thought that the Student Union Building where the event was being held was Purdue. When he saw more of the campus and how big Purdue really is, he committed to being the first in his family to attend college and said “I’ll be back here some day”.

The Classroom Business Enterprise program made this visit to campus possible and instilled a true desire to go on to college in this young man.

Thanks again Pete Anders, Tri-Central School System

THE IMPACT ON ONE STUDENT

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Harlan DayExecutive DirectorIndiana Council for Economic Education615 West State Street, AGAD 221West Lafayette, IN 47907

Phone: 765-494-8544Fax: 765-496-1505Website: http://www.econed-in.org

“This product was funded by a grant awarded under the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration.  The information contained in this product was created by a grantee organization and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. All references to non-governmental companies or organizations, their services, products, or resources are offered for informational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement by the Department of Labor.  This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it and is intended for individual organizational, non-commercial use only.”