Seniors can work one school period each weekday in the hardware store for academic credit. The students rotate among jobs, building skills in database management, spreadsheet applications, accounting, payroll, inventory, and marketing. Student learning in the workplace is measured in two formal ways. At least once a quarter, students take a written exam addressing basic questions about store operations, such as preparing purchase orders and daily accounting procedures. In addition, once a week, the instructor completes a ten-item evaluation for each student on such items as appearance, cooperation, and respect.
Students rate themselves on the same form and evaluate their performance with the teacher.
In addition to their success with the hardware store, a student-run corporation, Tiger, Inc., has taken over operations of the town s only grocery store, and students have worked with Habitat for Humanity and private investors to build several houses in the area, providing additional avenues for students to experience entrepreneurship and leadership. REAL Enterprises is a non-profit organization formed to help rural schools create innovative entrepreneurship education programs. REAL provides technical assistance, training, and other support services to help teachers offer entrepreneurship programs to students. The teacher of the entrepreneurial class spends a day in each of the schools instructing and transmitting from that site. Class paperwork, including tests and required business plans developed by students, are sent to the teacher via fax.