The US is experiencing a drop-out crisis. Every 29 seconds an American youth drops out of high school – that's 7,000 young people per day or 1.2 million each year. One-third of all high school students, and nearly half of all African American and Latino youth, do not graduate. The individual and societal effects of this crisis are staggering: over their lifetimes, on average, high school graduates earn $300,000 more than drop-outs. College graduates earn an additional $1 million.
Importantly, over 80% of young people say they would not have dropped out if school were more relevant to real life. NFTE meets that need, providing life-relevant learning that engages young people and keeps them in school. We show students why math, writing, reading and research skills are important, using a hands-on approach that incorporates all of these skills into the development of an original business plan. NFTE helps young people see their futures – including the importance of graduating high school – in a different, positive way.
Meet some of the young people who have found their paths to success through NFTE.
At the same time, NFTE fosters the creation of small businesses and the development of a business-savvy workforce that ultimately promote America’s long-term economic stability. External research has shown that NFTE graduates start and maintain businesses at substantially higher rates than their peers. Other research findings indicate the following trends:
- Increased interest in attending college
- Greater occupational aspirations
- Improved scores in independent reading
Read more about our research results.
At a moment of both educational crisis and economic uncertainty, NFTE provides a solution. Our nation’s top leaders and thinkers have acknowledged the relevance and importance of entrepreneurship as an educational and economic remedy, making the need for NFTE’s youth entrepreneurship programs more evident than ever.
The White House signaled its embrace of youth entrepreneurship in October 2009 and 2010, when President Obama invited the winners of NFTE's National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge to meet with him and be honored for their achievements. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has remarked, “Not every young person wants to work for a big business, so we need a systemic approach to teach them entrepreneurship, and NFTE has the best program in the country.”
