Business and Economics

​All-Gender Course; Prerequisite - Successful completion of Algebra II and one year of high school social studies; Fall semester or Full-year course
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Business and Economics students gain fluency in foundational economic principles and explore business planning, development, and management. Students study the fundamentals of microeconomics, including supply and demand, incentives, pricing and production, followed by macroeconomic concepts such as economic indexes, The Federal Reserve and financial markets, as well as trade agreements and globalization. This is an ideal survey course for students considering a college degree in economics, business, or management. By the end of the fall semester, students will have a working foundation to analyze current events in the corporate world and the international economy. 
WHAT STUDENTS SAY

"I am enjoying this course. I especially love the essays that we write after watching videos on different types of entrepreneurship. I find them exciting and engaging. I am looking forward to the rest of the year."

“It was eye opening to learn about inflation, and deflation... the material we have been studying has been very helpful in supplementing my understanding of the everyday economy and the inner workings of it.

​“My teacher for this course is wonderful and has been so helpful. I am so grateful for all I have learned in this course and love applying all the knowledge I have accumulated to my classes in school and everyday life. I feel this class has really given me a jump-start on the material I hope to continue studying throughout the rest of my academic career and in my future endeavors.”

WHAT STUDENTS DO
Learning is an active process at One Schoolhouse. Students design, create and apply. And, they engage with classmates and connect with their teachers through discussions, video conferences, and projects. Specifically, in this class students will:
  • Set goals that drive their learning. Students reflect regularly on their growth, and meet on video chat with their online teacher to review progress towards their goals.
  • Have choice in how they learn new content and practice new skills. Students are given agency to determine the best ways for them to learn.
  • Apply what they are learning to the real world. Learning is meaningful and connects to concepts outside the classroom.
  • Practice constructive engagement in a diverse and changing world. Students interact with classmates from across the country and around the world.
  • Gain academic maturity. Online learning takes greater discipline and independence than a traditional face-to-face classroom. Teachers support students to build this skill.
MEET A TEACHER FOR THIS COURSE
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SECOND SEMESTER?
Students wishing to pursue a business or economics project may enroll in the course for the full year. For students continuing into Semester II, the course shifts into personalized, project-based work, where students engage in deep, sustained inquiry; authentic and iterative research; critical analysis; and rigorous reflection, revision, and assessment as they journey through a self-designed, long-term activism, design, or research project on the topic of their choosing. Guided by a One Schoolhouse teacher, students pursue individual study/self-assessment or collaborative seminar/peer-review. Pathway options from which students choose include:​
  • Spring Activism Seminar: In this seminar, students identify a need and create a plan to effect economic, environmental, political, or social change in a target community.  Utilizing a social science approach to research and evaluation, students are guided through the process of planning the deployment of a novel idea and identifying markers of success.  Students may create a strategic plan for a club or non-profit or design an artistic product in this seminar. 
  • Spring Design Seminar:  In this seminar, students design a technological solution to a real-world problem.  Through the engineering design process/scientific method, students gather and analyze data to determine the effectiveness of their model or the accuracy of their hypothesis.  Students may prototype and produce a public product in this seminar. 
  • Spring Research Seminar:  In this seminar, students answer a theoretical or ethical question.  Utilizing the social science/humanities tools for source evaluation, students collect, critique, and evaluate artifacts or primary source documents to explore their thesis.  Students may create a written or multimedia product in this seminar. 

Upon completion of their inquiry-driven project, students will have gained academic maturity and expanded their ability to engage in a diverse and changing world. They will be able to draw and defend conclusions from theoretical underpinnings, contextual background, and mathematical analysis or source evaluation. Finally, they will have created and tested something useful of their own design or will be able to defend a position based on their own research.​
SIGNATURE ACTIVITIES
  • Signature activities in Business and Economics focus on the application of the theories and concepts studied to real - world situations using current issues and topics in business and economics. Students have the choice to focus on these issues at the local, country, or global level.
  • Students will learn and use the PACED Model of economic decision throughout the course to identify problems and explore alternative solutions to these problems. The model requires that students develop criteria to evaluative alternative solutions, and then chose and defend a solution based on the criteria.
COURSE APPROVAL
One Schoolhouse is fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through December 1, 2025; we are an approved online publisher for the University of California. 
Laura Finnerty Paul
she/her/hers
Social Sciences Teacher
PhD Stevens Institute of Technology
MBA Fordham University
BA Fordham University