Presented by Dr. Lazaro Lopez, Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Township High School District 214 (IL); Bob Brown, Computer Science, MobileMakersEdu Teacher, John Hersey High School, Township High School District 214 (IL); and Mike Drenth, Business, INCubatoredu Teacher, Rolling Meadows High School, Township High School District 214 (IL)
Moderated by Evo Popoff, Senior Vice President, Whiteboard Advisors

Sponsored by Uncharted Learning, NFP

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It’s more important than ever to equip our students with the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving world of work. Creativity, flexibility, communication, and problem solving are amongst the most highly touted skills in the workplace today, yet they are often left out of the traditional K-12 curriculum.

What would it look like to create a school culture that prioritizes developing these capabilities for all students? By teaching entrepreneurial skills, teachers and leaders can build workforce readiness into both core academic subjects and CTE pathways. In this edLeader Panel, you hear from educators who have done just that—Dr. Lazaro Lopez, Bob Brown, and Mike Drenth leveraged entrepreneurship education to ensure that all students are equipped with the skills they need to succeed in school and in life.

This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to K-12 teachers, school leaders in innovation, career readiness, business education, computer science, and coding, and district leaders.

 About the Presenters

Dr. Lazaro Lopez is an advocate for relevancy in schools, business partnerships, and career pathways. He has been featured in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Profiles of Change and Achieving Tomorrow series and recognized as the 2013 Illinois Principal of the Year for his efforts to ensure economic mobility in his school community. Appointed to Chair the Illinois Community College Board by the Governor(s) of Illinois in 2015 and 2019, he has focused the priorities of the state’s community college agency on the seamless transition of students, workforce development, and institutional effectiveness. He has served Illinois District 214 for 23 years as a teacher at Hersey High School and as Principal of Wheeling High School. Since 2013, he has served as the district’s Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, a role in which he oversees all academic programs serving students at six comprehensive high schools and one specialized school.

For 25 years, Bob Brown has been a teacher at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, IL, and currently teaches Mobile Apps, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Computer Science A. He has worked with MobileMakersEdu and Apple on many projects since 2015 and was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2017.

Mike Drenth is a business education teacher at District 214’s Rolling Meadows High School. He has taught the INCubatoredu entrepreneurship program since 2015-16. Four of Mike’s entrepreneurship teams have won the coveted trophy at District 214’s Startup Showcase over the past six years.

About the Moderator

Evo Popoff has spent much of his career working closely with states, districts, and schools to help them develop and implement effective school turnaround, after-school, online, and blended-learning programs. He most recently served as Chief Innovation Officer and an Assistant Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Education. Before that, he was Senior Vice President of Achievement Solutions at EdisonLearning Inc., where he supported public schools and districts across the country by developing and implementing innovative solutions to improve outcomes for students. He also helped Edison develop and manage its school improvement, turnaround, and online learning and assessment solutions. Evo formerly practiced law at McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago, where he worked on labor and employment, antitrust, and general corporate issues. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Chicago and is a graduate of George Washington Law.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Career, Technical, and Adult Education community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

The jobs of the future are unknown, so it’s more important than ever to teach students the critical skills and behaviors of entrepreneurs. Uncharted Learning provides schools with comprehensive curriculum, teacher training, and support services to help students develop durable, real-world skills.