REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning)
The Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning program is offered to 5th thru 8th graders.
REAL Entrepreneurship develops learners as constructive citizens of their communities and assists them in becoming
contributors to an enterprise. For older learners, the development (and potential implementation) of a business plan
for an enterprise of the participant's choosing is the central project of the REAL Entrepreneurship course.
The business plan is an end in itself, a detailed "road map" for an enterprise the student may open and operate,
depending on its feasibility. It may also include elements of a "life plan" describing steps the student will take
to achieve his or her career goals. In addition, the planning process helps participants develop the knowledge and
ability to identify, evaluate, and realize opportunities. The process by which the program is taught is critical
to participants' success.
The REAL Entrepreneurship curriculum is built on these educational principles:
Students and instructors work together on enterprises that reflect student needs, desires, and concerns.
In order to infuse the process with student choice, design, revision, execution, reflection, and evaluation,
the role of the instructor is that of facilitator, coach, team leader, and guide rather than boss.
The instructor ensures the academic integrity of the program by creating opportunities for students to master certain
basic competencies during the preparation and execution of the business plan.
Student action, rather than passive receipt of processed information, characterizes work in the REAL program.
The process emphasizes peer teaching, cooperative learning, and teamwork.
Students connect with their communities and work with individuals and groups outside the classroom.
There is an audience for student work beyond the teacher. The audience may include individuals, small groups, or
the community at large, but it must be an audience the students want to serve, engage, or impress.
REAL's course content builds progressively toward established goals, allowing students to apply and benefit
from past experience as they acquire new knowledge and skills.
REAL instructors model entrepreneurial attitudes by implementing policies and practices that allow students to
think and work creatively.
The REAL course provides participants with ample opportunity for conscious, thoughtful reflection on their work.
The program includes constructive, honest, on-going evaluation of skills, knowledge, and changes in student attitudes.
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