Over 1,000 students in New Jersey have gained entrepreneurship skills through the expansion of EntreEd’s America’s Entrepreneurial School (AES) initiative this school year. In Gloucester County, NJ, Parkview Elementary School (Westville) and Gateway Regional High School (Woodbury) received their AES designation in recognition of their commitment to providing entrepreneurship education to every student in their building in a single year. These are the first two AES schools in the state of New Jersey and the most recent expansion of the initiative.
At Parkview Elementary, 350 students in grades K-6 participated in entrepreneurial activities. Students in Grades K-3 participated in a rotation of Genius Hour to explore their interests in a project-based learning approach. Third grade engaged in a student-led campaign-based project that involved the community via the Philiadephia Zoo’s UNLESS contest. Grades 4-5 created a Watershed Project through the NJ Audubon Society. Tying in STEM, 5th and 6th graders participated in robotics challenges that involved problem-based learning, principles of engineering, and programming. Sixth grade also held a flea market and put their entrepreneurial marketing strategies into practice with an overall profit of $250.
“A strength of the initiative is that it involves all stakeholders in the project-based learning process. Teachers are seeking ways to involve all students and community members in the quest for 21st century learning. The 4Cs: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking have become a priority during these lessons,” said a Parkview Elementary entrepreneurial educator.
Gateway Regional High School teachers developed lessons and projects to incorporate entrepreneurial mindsets and experiences. Projects ranged from Shark Tank experiences, video game coding, creative real-world problem solving, and career explorations for 875 students in Grades 7-12. Students were highly engaged and demonstrated increased content knowledge in the classroom. Teachers plan to sustain these lessons in the future to continue to offer entrepreneurial experience to students. “The professional learning provided at the beginning to kick off the initiative was great. It really helped my teachers open up to the idea. Lesson plans and ideas provided on the website helped teachers spark their own ideas. Continuing support from our Regional Coordinator, Toi, across the year was greatly appreciated,” said one Gateway Regional teacher.
For more information on the New Jersey expansion of America’s Entrepreneurial Schools, contact Toi Hershman, Regional Coordinator at toi@entre-ed.org.
