High School Partnerships Expand Business Education

• In Italy, the nonprofit Mentoring Mission works with Harvard Business School alumni to introduce teenage students to the basics of business thinking and the Socratic method.
• During the pilot program, which centered around a case study involving Netflix, students learned to defend their viewpoints, issue respectful challenges, and build collective understanding.
• Through such initiatives, students develop skills and confidence, teachers gain access to new pedagogical approaches, and business schools strengthen relationships with their communities.

 
On a recent morning in a high school classroom in Rome, something unusual happened. A group of 17-year-old students debated the strategic choices behind Netflix’s rise and Blockbuster’s decline. They examined competitive positioning, questioned one another’s assumptions, and became increasingly confident about expressing complex ideas in English, a language that was not their own.

This was not a university classroom. It was a session created by Mentoring Mission: Case Class, a U.S.-based nonprofit founded in 2013. The organization brings Harvard Business School case studies into high school curricula through discussions led by business school alumni. The initiative aims to expose students to real-world decision-making while helping them develop skills in analytical thinking and structured argumentation. It also boosts their intellectual confidence and sparks their curiosity about possible academic and professional paths.

At a time when artificial intelligence is making information increasingly accessible, young students benefit greatly from having opportunities to cultivate judgment, participate in dialogue, and engage with ambiguity. Mentoring Mission does not aim to replace traditional high school education or compete with AI-enabled learning. Rather, the nonprofit seeks to create spaces where students learn to ask better questions, consider different perspectives, and construct thoughtful arguments.

The Rome pilot emerged from a collaboration among Mentoring Mission, the Harvard Business School Club of Italy, and a local high school. It illustrates how business schools, alumni networks, and nonprofit organizations can collaborate to extend business education beyond traditional degree programs.

Importantly, these collaborations do not necessarily require significant institutional arrangements or financial investments. They can begin with individuals willing to connect organizations, adapt existing resources, and experiment with new approaches to learning.

Building the Partnership From Idea to Pilot

The Rome initiative began in spring 2026, when Carol Valentino-Barry, founder of Mentoring Mission, began to explore how the organization’s successful U.S. model could be adapted internationally.

She reached out to me because of my dual roles as a board member of the Harvard Business School Club of Italy and as director and faculty member of the Frank J. Guarini School of Business at John Cabot University in Rome. While the initiative was not designed as a formal program to be offered through John Cabot University, it benefited from the experience and perspective I brought in from these two roles.

I recognized an opportunity to connect Mentoring Mission’s established methodology with local educational networks. I could also see broader goals of introducing younger students to analytical thinking and problem-solving processes while making them aware of globally oriented educational opportunities.

In addition, I discerned a useful lesson for business schools: Meaningful outreach is achieved not only when institutions launch targeted programs; it also can occur when faculty and alumni act as bridges between organizations and communities.

Collaborations among schools, alumni, and nonprofits can begin with individuals willing to connect organizations, adapt existing resources, and experiment with new approaches to learning.

I knew that a critical first step was to choose the right high school as a partner for the pilot. Rather than pursuing a formal selection process, I began with a teacher whom I knew and respected through a previous connection. Not only had she demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and student development, but she also had displayed enthusiasm and a willingness to experiment with a discussion-based approach to education.

She played a central role in the success of the pilot, which involved a single classroom of 26 students in their fourth year of Italy’s five-year high school system. She prepared students before the session, encouraged active participation, and integrated the experience into the school curriculum.

When the program was delivered, it fulfilled the requirements of Italy’s PCTO framework (Pathways for Transversal Skills and Orientation), which requires students to engage in practical learning experiences before graduation.

Designing the Experience for Younger Learners

The case selected for the pilot focused on Netflix and its strategic decisions in response to changing market conditions. After receiving the materials in advance, students prepared for the program by completing structured exercises designed to help them identify key events, analyze decisions, and formulate their own perspectives.

Because the participants had no prior business education and were studying in a second language, it was essential to adapt the case and provide supplemental materials. These included a glossary of business terminology and guiding questions that enabled students to focus on strategic thinking rather than struggle with an unfamiliar vocabulary.

I joined the two-hour classroom session, which followed the Socratic discussion model associated with the Harvard case method. Rather than delivering a lecture, I facilitated conversation through questions, encouraging students to defend their viewpoints, challenge one another respectfully, and build understanding collectively.

The program was offered at no cost to either the students or the high school. For the educators who delivered the program on a volunteer basis, the principal investment was the time needed to prepare for class, adapt materials, coordinate among partners, and participate in Mentoring Mission training.

Early Outcomes and Evidence of Impact

Although the initiative remains in its early stages, the pilot generated several encouraging signals.

During the session, all 26 students contributed to the discussion at least once—an outcome that required the teacher and me to carefully prepare for the session and actively facilitate interactions. The teacher later reported that levels of engagement remained high among students in subsequent classroom conversations.

Because the participants had no prior business education and were studying in a second language, it was essential to adapt the case and provide supplemental materials.

Perhaps the strongest indication of the program’s value came after the pilot concluded. The classroom teacher and several students independently enrolled in a summer version of the Mentoring Mission program, even though I was not involved in its organization or delivery. Their willingness to dedicate personal time during the summer suggested that the experience had created genuine interest rather than a temporary classroom response.

The school also expressed interest in repeating the initiative during the following academic year and expanding participation to additional teachers. This outcome suggests that the model could become embedded more broadly within the school environment.

Lessons Learned and Next Steps

Several lessons emerged from the inaugural implementation:

First, successful adaptation matters. A teaching method developed for graduate business education can be highly effective with younger students, but it requires adjustments for their language proficiency, prior knowledge, and level of familiarity with business concepts.

Second, the role of the classroom teacher is fundamental. The most successful partnerships involve teachers who prepare students before the session, help create cultures of participation during the event, and reinforce learning afterward.

Third, the greatest challenges are relational rather than financial. The model requires identifying committed individuals who can connect schools, nonprofit organizations, and alumni communities. Existing relationships often provide the trust needed to launch initial experiments.

That fact is illustrated by the next phase of our initiative. Additional sessions are currently being organized in Milan by members of the Harvard Business School Club of Italy. These individuals are developing partnerships with local schools through their own professional and personal networks.

With such initiatives, business schools strengthen relationships with their communities and create opportunities to engage prospective students earlier in their educational journeys.

Finally, adjustments are essential. These future iterations will incorporate more systematic assessment tools, including pre- and post-program surveys. Such tools will enable educators to better measure changes in students’ confidence, analytical abilities, and interest in business education. Additional adapted cases and more trained facilitators also will allow the initiative to expand.

When business schools promote and participate in initiatives such as Mentoring Mission, multiple stakeholders benefit. High school students are exposed to business thinking and develop confidence in expressing and defending ideas. Teachers gain access to innovative pedagogical approaches at no additional cost. Business schools strengthen relationships with their communities and create opportunities to engage prospective students earlier in their educational journeys.

To reap such benefits, a school does not necessarily need to invest significant financial resources or design a formal institutional program. As our experience suggests, all it takes is a faculty member or alumnus who is willing to serve as a champion, connect with local schools, and leverage existing resources from outside organizations.

The Case Method as a Human-Centered Technology

The broader significance of this experiment extends beyond introducing business concepts to younger students. The case method can be understood as a social technology—a way of organizing dialogue, exposing different viewpoints, and developing collective insights.

Artificial intelligence is transforming access to information and accelerating many forms of analysis. However, this evolution makes it more important than ever for students to develop human capabilities such as judgment, curiosity, communication, and the ability to engage constructively with different perspectives.

Through initiatives such as Mentoring Mission, business education has an opportunity to expand beyond the walls of the classroom. By bringing discussion-based learning experiences to younger students, business schools can contribute to a broader learning ecosystem. They can prepare future generations not simply to access knowledge, but also to interpret it, question it, and use it wisely.