SBIR Phase I: Transforming middle school mathematics into a pathway to entrepreneurship

This SBIR Phase I project is designed to address a concern that is current and increasingly significant for the U.S. economy; the decrease in entrepreneurship in our nation today. According to the Los Angeles Times (9/7/2014), "The image of the U.S. as bursting with entrepreneurial zeal, it turns out, is more myth than reality. In truth, the rate at which new companies are being formed has fallen steadily for more than three decades." There are many factors that contribute to diminished U.S. entrepreneurial activity, but there is increasing evidence that one issue that might be addressed through our education system is a new focus on "soft skills," cognitive skills that are often found under the aegis of 21st Century Skills. According to Heckman "soft skills predict success in life" they causally produce that success, and "soft skills" have an important place in an effective portfolio of public policies. This project intends to provide an environment for middle school teachers to deeply understand these entrepreneurial skills and prepare those teachers to integrate the skills into their math classrooms. Thus, another broad potential impact is the use of the model to enable teachers/schools to address 21st Century skills (precursors to entrepreneurship) within the context of the STEM disciplines. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will provide a proof-of-concept for an innovative, affordable, "next generation" personalized model for teacher professional learning that leverages today's technologies to change the way professional development is provided to teachers. It offers multiple entry points and pathways, personalizes teachers' learning, increasing the potential for applicability back to that teachers' classroom. This more affordable, actionable model professional learning environment could be expanded to include other 21st Century skills and other STEM disciplines. This project will pilot and refine this new model based on teachers' usage, satisfaction, and observed impact data. These technical objectives will be accomplished in three phases. The first is a development phase to develop multimedia learning resource library that includes high-quality, practical, useful supportive materials including innovative demonstration units of practice that demonstrate how teachers can enrich a traditional unit of study while addressing the precursor skills of entrepreneurship. These demonstration units will be embedded in a successful, affordable online learning environment for personalized teacher professional learning. The second will pilot and conduct research on this "next generation" professional learning environment. Data related to use, levels of participation and user satisfaction will be collected and analyzed. Finally, this new environment and associated resources will be refined based on the evidence collected in the pilot and research phases.