Industry Features, Press Releases & Impact on Students, Schools and Communities

Entrepreneurship education won’t save the teaching profession — but it’s a good place to start
Falia Justima teaches entrepreneurship education at Immokalee High School in Florida’s Collier County Public Schools.
Since March 2020, K-12 educators like me have weathered a variety of upheavals — from remote instruction and hybrid classrooms to tackling students’ unmet needs, both academic and social-emotional.
It’s no wonder teachers are struggling to find joy these days, which is impacting teacher turnover. As bad as that is for teachers, it’s even worse for students: Researchers have found teacher turnover negatively impacts student performance, which disproportionately impacts students at low-performing schools.
This is no small matter. Getting kids excited about learning starts with the idea of joy, and joy starts with teachers.

Creating the ‘Ripple’ Effect

Virginia Beach high school students design new surf wax, turning assignment into budding small business
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — From the classroom to the cash register, "Swag Stick" is now on the shelves at Coastal Edge stores.

Nurturing entrepreneurs: Lake Belton High School program to launch in fall
The Belton Independent School District is looking to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs at Lake Belton High School by implementing the INCubatoredu program this upcoming fall.

OPRF students try to help revive local businesses
In a business incubator class, they focused on coming up with ways to help revive local businesses. They saw how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted brick-and-mortar stores in downtown Oak Park, and they just wanted to do something. The end result is The Box: Oak Park, a gift box service catering to area residents.

Merging Different Disciplines to Create a Sustainable School Garden
Project Green is an interdisciplinary project at Munster High School in Indiana that engages students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math through hands-on learning experiences. The curricular topics integrated by the project include science, water conservation, computer science, art & design, entrepreneurship, and engineering. Students apply the skills and knowledge they acquired during different lessons.

Meaningful Mentorship: 5 Tips for Teachers
We may not always know or be able to influence what is going on in a students’ personal life, but we do have control of providing access to (and being) that one caring adult. I’ve recently had the opportunity to serve as a mentor for Lake Zurich High School’s IncubatorEDU program...As their mentor, I am there to encourage them, connect them to others that can support their growth, and push them outside of their comfort zone.

New Trier entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life leading up to Pitch Night
Looking for the next big thing? You may find it on the third floor of New Trier High School’s Winnetka campus.
Tucked in a corner classroom, teenaged minds are nurturing and workshopping business ideas in Startup U, an entrepreneurship class in the business education program.
The year-long class, which is led by Sara Burnett and Bob Bollweg, unites student groups and their ideas with mentors, members of the New Trier community who offer real-world experience as the students build and pitch their ideas.

5 innovative Austin tech companies being recognized at SXSW
AUSTIN (KXAN)– Each SXSW, a competition called Pitch puts companies of new, innovative technology head-to-head to present their ideas to a live audience and expert judges, and win investors.

Lieutenant governor meets with Munster High students during tour
The tour began with a stop in Munster High School’s Incubator, a business program where students are able to pitch real business ideas, obtain funding and eventually create a product. There were 10 projects this year, and Suzanne Crouch and state Rep. Mike Andrade got to speak individually with some of the students.