TEACHING MATH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO DISADVANTAGED ADOLESCENTS

MASON COMPANY'S EXPERTISE IN COMPUTERS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE PROGRAM FOR ECONOMICALLY UNDERPRIVILEGED MINORITY ADOLESCENTS, GRADES 9 TO 12. WE BELIEVE THAT MANY OF THE LOW MOTIVATIONAL AND ACADEMIC PROGLEMS PREVALENT IN THIS TARGET POPULATION CAN BE DIRECTLY TRACED TO ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL, AND ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGES RATHER THAN TO SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES. OUR BELIEF IS THAT THE TEACHING OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP CAN SERVE AS A POWERFUL CATALYST FOR ATTAINING COMPETENCY IN BASIC MATHEMATICAL SKILLS. FURTHER, THE BENEFITS GAINED FROM OUR PROGRAM CAN SERVE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS' OVERALL ACADEMIC ATTITUDES AND BE AN EFFECTIVE ANTIDOTE TO THE SERIOUS DROPOUT PROBLEM IN AMERICA. OUR PILOT STUDY WILL FOCUS ON EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS TO WHOM PRE- AND POST-TESTS WILL BE ADMINISTERED, GENERATING SUFFICIENT DATA TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF OUR SOFTWARE INTERVENTION. IF SUCCESSFUL IN PHASE I, MASON COMPANY HOPES TO EXPAND ITS SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TO TEACH ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS AS A CONCRETE INCENTIVE FOR ATTAININGGREATER COMPETENCY IN A BROAD RANGE OF CURRICULUM AREAS, INCLUDING READING AND WRITING. SHOULD WE RECEIVE FUNDING, WE WILL BE THE FIRST EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY TO BE LOCATED IN THE SOUTH BRONX, ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST IMPOVERISHED URBAN AREAS. AS SUCH, WE FEEL WE CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO TECHNOLOGICALINNOVATION IN EDUCATION FOR THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.