To help them learn, the National Council on Economic Education (www.ncee.net) was born. Over the last 50 years this Manhattan-based nonprofit has initiated hundreds of innovative, practical economic courses into the nation’s schools. Their programs have trained thousands of teachers. Their “Focus Publications,” which they publish, have created scores of easily adopted lesson plans for all grade levels and geographic areas. When the Iron Curtain fell, NCEE stepped in 12 years ago and help alleviate the fiscal culture shock. They taught those who had known only communism how to deal with their nation’s new free market economies and upcoming constitutional governments.

        Current NCEE president Robert Duvall notes that over the last half century, the challenge for economic education has unfortunately grown substantially. “Our economic instruments and processes have become so much more complex, even for the average individual,” says Duvall. “Yes, we have more people launching that first startup, but fewer of them seem aware of the procedures than ever before.” But Duvall remains very much undaunted. His organization now has a presence in almost every state. In its October 2007 Visionary Awards, NCEE demonstrated the active support of such major financial players as John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group, and Bill Donaldson, 27th chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

* Garden State Grassroots. Reaching out to those most in need, the NCEE recently funded a “Mini-Society” program in Salem - one of New Jersey’s poorest counties. Glen Donelson, special project director for Salem’s school district, is the first to admit that his county seems an unlikely soil for growing entrepreneurs. With a 60 percent dropout rate between grades 9 and 12, and only 20 percent of adults having a high school degree, the school system has been unflatteringly called “a dropout factory.”

        Seeing Salem’s need for a more practical, multi-small-venture approach, NCEE and Donaldson selected the Mini-Society program.

        Over a course of 20 weekly one-hour sessions, students construct their own functioning economic society (not a model,) which allocates real, limited resources. Originally conceived in the 1970’s by California educator Marilyn Kourilsky, this in-school experiment has continued to evolve with the times. (Visit www.minisociety.com.)

        Teachers from as far away as South Dakota and Kansas, along with Salem County educators, met in Pennsville, New Jersey to take the training course for the Mini-Society project. Instantly upon arrival, they were given 12 hours to construct a product and make it salable. “The native American ladies from South Dakota designed and produced some feather, bead, and stone jewelry that would rival anything you’ll find in mall stores,” says Donelson.

        “Another group created and had set to market an entire ring-and projectile-stick game. All just from materials, found at hand.”

        This initial challenge was designed to unleash the teachers’ innate entrepreneurial spark and realize that the same potential lay ready to light within their students.

* In-class Action. Once turned over to the students, Mini-Society does bring out the young person’s desire to venture economically out on his own. As the high school students begin identifying needs, and scant resources, they spontaneously swing into action and initiate enterprises. “One of the jobs is to design and print money for the society,” notes Donelson. “So one sharp student took the contract.” He found a rarely seen fiber paper, constructed a design, and rented copying time. With the instructor’s aid, he worked out a low price and the paymaster’s business began.

        Teachers throughout the sessions act as facilitators, encouraging participation, suggesting meetings, and providing trigger ideas. “The teachers absolutely flabbergasted me with their high-praise evaluations. This is no silly teaching-to-test project,” says Donelson. “As for the students - parents who fight with their children every day to get them to school say they never have a battle when these sessions are in class.”

* Ready to Dream & Do. Upon graduating from high school, most Salem young people will have reached the end of their formal education. It is then they must be ready to earn money, spend it wisely and be prepared to handle the economic realities of adult life. By nurturing these young people through a small scale enterprise, Mini-Society banishes the startup fear. It is no longer an unknown, scary process. And they have a few skills on hand.

        There are no illusions that every Mini-Society graduate will step out of high school and launch his own enterprise with entrepreneurial fervor. Most will enter lower level jobs with minimal paychecks. But armed with the sessions, these new working citizens, will have the ability to budget their finances, pay bills, to save, and apportion finances appropriately.

        And along the way, they will have learned how to keep their eyes open. Someday while working on the line, some of these graduates may just spot a need or process that could be outsourced, and the spark will come back. And don’t be surprised if at the next SCORE or SBDC meeting you don’t see this young eager-eyed person unfolding a hastily scribbled business plan for the next world-beater enterprise. 


Robert Duvall comes to the National Council on Economic Education with a long career in academic leadership. After earning his M.A. and Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University, Duval served as a professor at Pitzer College, Rollins College, University of Pennsylvania, and Cambridge University in England. In l983 he became president of Pacific University, boosting enrollment 50 percent. He joined NCEE in l995, and has increased funding 300 percent.

Glen Donelson, as few others, personally represents the bootstrapping capabilities NCEE seeks to instill. Before the age of 19, young Donelson’s father moved the family more than a dozen times around South Jersey. “We always had to keep one step ahead of the rent collector,” he recalls. Donelson wanted more.
In 1956, he entered Dupont Chemical as an entry level clerk. Over the next 37 years with that company, Donelson worked his way to high-middle management in human relations. It was Donelson who led the effort to convert all Dupont’s wage people onto salaries, saving the company over $15 million annually. In 1993, he retired, and took over his present job as special projects director for the Salem district. He was the first one in his family to graduate from college, earning a bachelors from Rowan College in 1997, while raising his three adopted children.

Article Summary
Economic illiteracy in America has reached alarming proportions. Robert Duvall, CEO of The National Council of Economic Education tells how the NCEE is fighting this epidemic and fanning entrepreneurial fire in students. Educator Glen Donelson reports how one such NCEE program forges new business founders in New Jersey’s depressed Salem County.