New Jersey School District Teaching Entrepreneurial Skills to All Third Graders
(PRWEB) March 23, 2015 -- BizWorld.org, a global non-profit providing hands-on and engaging entrepreneurship education programs for elementary and middle school children, announced that, after a successful pilot program last spring, Edison Township Public Schools is implementing its BizWorld® program in every third-grade classroom in the school district this month. A total of 55 third grade classrooms across 10 schools will participate in the program.
BizWorld was successfully taught at Lincoln Elementary, Woodbrook School, and James Monroe Elementary in spring 2014, where third graders worked in groups to launch their own friendship bracelet companies. The program culminated in a sales bazaar, a community engagement activity where students sold their bracelets, celebrating the hard work they put into their businesses with the support of the dedicated Edison teachers.
“Watching my students come together to create and produce a product was incredible -- they are eight and nine year old kids discussing the importance of expenses, revenue and profit,” said Gina Ulrich, third grade teacher at Washington Elementary School. “BizWorld gave my students the opportunity to be creative and take charge of their learning. It was incredible to watch the students critically discuss the positive and negatives of their businesses and come to their own conclusions without my assistance.”
The BizWorld program aligns with Edison Township school district’s social studies unit in the third grade and provides the 21st century project-based learning experiences the school district is focused on. “Edison Township school district is always looking for new and innovative programs that include hands-on learning and real-world application, promote problem-solving, collaboration and creativity, and cultivate strong speaking and listening skills,” said Sara Bright, Elementary Supervisor, Edison Township Public Schools. “We were thrilled with the results of the pilot program with BizWorld; it was easy for our teachers to implement and the students were engaged and excited about the program. We are excited to roll out the program in all of our elementary schools so that every third grader in Edison Township can have this real-world experience and gain invaluable entrepreneurial skills.”
The BizWorld program will launch in all third-grade classrooms in Edison Township on March 23. The program will last six weeks and culminate on May 8 with a sales bazaar during which students will market and sell their friendship bracelets as part of the program. In preparation for this district implementation, BizWorld.org conducted onsite training with more than 60 Edison Township public school teachers. “It’s exciting that all of the children in one district will have the opportunity to experience the BizWorld magic,” said Carla Foster, COO at BizWorld.org. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for these students to learn real-world financial lessons and discover their own strengths. Last year’s pilot even inspired a few to start their own businesses. That’s exciting.”
About BizWorld.org
BizWorld.org is a global non-profit organization based in San Francisco, CA, whose mission is to challenge and engage elementary and middle school children across the cultural and economic spectrum with hands-on and engaging entrepreneurship programs that promote financial responsibility, leadership and teamwork. Founded 18 years ago by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, BizWorld.org programs teach students real-world 21st century skills such as financial management, collaboration, negotiation and leadership that encourage them to become the financially responsible leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. BizWorld.org has provided three project-based programs - BizWorld®, BizMovie® and BizWiz - that demonstrate these real-world concepts to teachers and volunteers all over the world. In turn, these teachers have helped more than 500,000 students in more than 100 countries. Based on data received by a subset of our teachers, 97 percent of classes show an increase in business, entrepreneurship, and financial knowledge after completing BizWorld.org programs. For more information, please visit http://www.bizworld.org or call toll-free 1-888-4-BizKid.
Ellen Snook, BizWorld.org, http://www.bizworld.org, +1 510-459-6658, [email protected]
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