1. Before the school year find a business partner who is willing to send their personnel people to your school one day in the fall of the year, give you a sample job application, contribute to your awards fund, understands the concepts and duties of the program especially "keeping it real." Let them know up front that this is not purely a PR setting where all the children will "win." They must be willing to bring their real world performance standards into your school.

2. Send out a letter to parents introducing the program by early October. Include a real job application from the business. Let everyone know that students may or may not be hired, and will be promoted retained or possibly fired at the end of the program. Advertise your awards fund and any prizes you have to give away. Make it clear that participation is voluntary, that student's school records in academic grades, attendance and behavior will be viewed by the company officials if the child is hired. Provide a place on the job application for the parent/guardian to sign, giving their permission for participation. State a deadline of a week or so for students to return the completed applications.

3. Send the applications (raw, as is) to the company and set up a date by mid to late October for them to come to the school and conduct job interviews. They should send you a list ahead of time of who, after reviewing the applications, they wish to interview. Tell the kids to consider carefully what they wear to school that day. They will be treated as prospective employees, not kids, and should look the part.

4. Take some pictures on interview day (it's a great photo opportunity for the local press). Educator, stay out of the process, let the business folks handle it. They do this for a living. Stay upbeat. I have sometimes given a little gift to all interviewees.

5. As soon as possible get a list from the business of the students they have decided to hire. Send a congratulatory letter home with these students. Thank all participants and tell unsuccessful candidates to try again next year. Privately counsel those who are interested on how to improve their job hunting skills.

6. DO NOTHING until about early April.

7. Prepare a chart or spread sheet for the business listing the hired student's name, a sample of academic grades (use the same subjects for each child), attendance (times absent and tardy or late), and behavior (estimate verbal reprimands and commendations, list written reprimands and written commendations, awards, etc.).

8. Tell the business partner you need a list of students ranked in order based on their school performance BUT APPLYING THE BUSINESS' PERFORMANCE STANDARDS not the school's. You may be in for some surprises. Also have the business categorize the students as promoted, retained in position, or fired.

9. Set up your awards assembly for sometime near the end of school. Prepare letters informing each student of the outcome. A day or so before the assembly privately give out the termination letters. At the assembly give out the letters and awards to each student who wasn't fired and announce their achievements.

10. KEEP IT REAL. If you have a thousand dollars to give away and only one student doesn't get fired, give it all to them! Whatever happens, happens! Consider making the top student "employee of the year" and arrange a real day on the job for them at the business. Plan to play again in the coming year.