Irving (WBAP/KLIF News) – The Irving Independent School District has launched a program that offers fifth graders a chance to work with business owners in an entrepreneurship program. “Irving Develops Entrepreneurial Achievers” will match students with a local business owner.
“Instead of learning about entrepreneurs, studying it, taking a test over it, our kids are going to experience what it’s like to be an entrepreneur,” says the district’s Laina McDonald.
Fifth graders were able to sign up to work with a mentor. Students will spend one hour a week working with mentors from September through November.
“We’re going to allow kids to fail forward a little bit,” McDonald says. “When an idea’s a bad idea, let them experience it, let them recover and move forward.”
McDonald says the program will help kids learn how to develop and implement a business model. She says the program aims to help students learn collaboration, public speaking and how to develop and test an idea.
The IDEA program starts in September. Irving ISD is still accepting applications for mentors. Details can be found here.
(Copyright 2017 WBAP/KLIF News. All rights reserved)