The Business Community

As employers, businesses are in a position to reinforce the idea that excellence and hard work count. Here are some possible activities businesses can undertake to help support increased student achievement:

• Asking potential student employees for several written teacher recommendations that specifically address whether or not the student is dependable, punctual, responsible, and hard working in school
  
  
• Adopting "Responsibility, Respect, Results" as their hiring motto.  Businesses could advertise that they want to hire only those young people who demonstrate responsibility and respect, and can produce good results -- at work and at school.
  
  
• Assisting in arranging work schedules so that employees can volunteer in the schools and attend school functions and parent-teacher conferences.
  
  
• Creating a yearly award for student employees that recognizes success and/or hard work in school.
  
  
• Working with the schools to create job shadowing and internship opportunities for qualified students.
  
  
• Speaking to high school students about the kinds of personal qualities employers want (responsibility, punctuality, cooperation, persistence, etc.) in addition to skills and knowledge.
  
  
• Limiting to 20 hours or less a week the time students are required to work during the school year. 
  
  
• Increasing opportunities for teens by knowing the youth employment laws.

At the local level, the business community has been significantly involved at many levels from participating in the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Preparing Workforce initiative to the planning conversations and participation in the Mayor's Education Initiative to serving as youth mentors through the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota.

Business Leader's Online Toolkit - Promoting more effective business involvement in America's public schools.

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