1. THEORY: To use international trade as a catalyst to recreate interest and excitement for learning while integrating basic school subjects (i.e., Social Science – students are taught cultural differences and customs and their historical development; Math – students calculate price/cost of container loads for shipping; Language Arts – students learn better communications skills) with practical real life solutions.

2. SIMULATION: Students conduct simulated business exercises to identify products to sell in the global marketplace, evaluate trade leads, and handle all the details of shipping and handling through freight forwarders, pro forma invoices, letters of credit and insurance. They learn how to expand their cultural awareness and become better citizens by creating respect, tolerance and acceptance of differences in diverse people around the globe.

3. APPLICATION: Students become international trade entrepreneurs with valuable hands-on experience to fulfill the needs of international companies who want to purchase products from the United States. Students have a chance to develop business relationships and conduct real life transactions that can earn money to benefit their school, set up scholarship funds, etc.

The first class began in February 1998 with 60 students enrolled in the Integrated Technologies Lab 2000 class of Alain LeRoy Locke High School in Los Angeles, California. The course instructor Mr. Alfonzo Webb reported that the at-risk students arrived early and stayed long after class had ended. At the end of the first semester, the Principal and faculty noted a marked improvement in many of the students’ grades and there was a major change in their attitude toward learning.