LEARNEntrepreneurship in Every School: Los Angeles
NFTE currently serves over 2,108 LAUSD students per year. NFTE has the opportunity to deepen our current partnership with the LAUSD by integrating NFTE’s entrepreneurship curriculum with all high school economic classes across all regions, with the potential to reach 30,000+ students and work with over 200 teachers over the next 3 years. Grant would support phase 1 to expand into 12 economics high school teachers across the LAUSD regions. Through the phase 1 expansion, NFTE LA will reach 2,000+ additional LAUSD students within the first year.
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Central LA
East LA
San Fernando Valley
South LA
Westside
LAUSD (please select only if you have a district-wide partnership or project)
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Expand existing program
What is the need you’re responding to?
Entrepreneurship changes the way young people see their futures. NFTE aims to provide underserved, at-risk youth with new opportunities that give them skills, confidence, and know-how to take and maintain control over their lives. The NFTE program shows students how they can recognize opportunities, develop their talents, discover their potential, and chart their own course. And when that happens, they succeed personally, educationally, and professionally and communities are stronger. Through the lens of entrepreneurship, NFTE brings relevancy to core academic subjects alongside traditional business development skills, showing students how to use their knowledge, maximize their potential, and become leaders and innovators. NFTE students respond well to this approach, performing better in school, enrolling in higher education, and outpacing national averages in employment and self-employment.
Why is this project important to the work of your organization?
Since 2007, NFTE LA has reached over 20,000 youth in Los Angeles. NFTE partners with schools in under-resourced neighborhoods and community-based organizations with like-minded missions to integrate our uniquely suited small business, entrepreneurship and workforce development curriculum into their educational offerings as a regular course of study. Our curriculum is G-approved through the University of California Office of the President A-G list, and our signature experiential learning methodology is taught in the classroom by NFTE-certified teachers. Essential to the experience is our in-depth educator training, certification and ongoing professional development.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this proposal?
Direct Impact: 12
Indirect Impact: 2,000
Please describe the broader impact of your proposal.
A person with an entrepreneurial mindset can recognize an otherwise overlooked opportunity, has the confidence to take a calculated risk, thinks critically and creatively, communicates ideas clearly, is able to collaborate effectively, and can not only adjust to change, but also learn from setbacks. These are precisely the kinds of skills that empower young people to succeed whether they choose to start new businesses of their own, further their education, or enter the workforce.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
Support will help NFTE implement its Entrepreneurship Pathway programs, thereby activating the students’ entrepreneurial mindset, resulting in the following:
* Increased student engagement, ownership, and motivation (career and college aspirations)
* Development of career-ready skills
* Students learn fundamentals of business startup
* Students develop an entrepreneurial mindset
* Students are prepared for business startup, workforce, or continued education
* Students demonstrate mastery of content through independently created business plans
Through this initiative, will track the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
* At least 90% of NFTE students will develop a business idea and pitch, demonstrating basic knowledge of business development skills;
* At least 80% of NFTE students will participate in a pitch competition, demonstrating their entrepreneurial mindset skills;
* NFTE students will demonstrate average growth of 8-10% when assessing their confidence in entrepreneurial ability and skills; and,
* At least 80% of students will participate in the Entrepreneurial Mindset assessment (using the Entrepreneurial Mindset Index).
In addition, NFTE students are now being prepared for an academic and industry-recognized credential, which they can earn by passing Certiport’s Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) exam. The ESB certification has been recognized by the American Council on Education for lower division (100-200 level) college credit.
Which of the LEARN metrics will your submission impact?
College graduates
High school graduation rates
Proficiency in STEM
Are there any other LA2050 goal categories that your proposal will impact?
LA is the best place to CREATE
Which of LA2050’s resources will be of the most value to you?
Access to the LA2050 community
Host public events or gatherings
Communications support
Office space for meetings, events, or for staff
Capacity, including staff