AMBASSADORS AT WORK
Integrating Entrepreneurial Thinking into all Content Areas
Entrepreneurship Education Discovery Policy
We encourage all teachers to integrate the "Discovery" concepts which relates to the first stage of entrepreneurial thinking into science, math, history, language arts, music, art, foreign languages, and Career and Technical Education in order to enhance problem solving and innovation skills in every field. This policy will focus our school system on implementing entrepreneurship skills preparation as encouraged in House of Representatives Resolution #699 passed June 7, 2006.
....Whereas the National Governors Association under the leadership of the Chair, Governor Janet Napolitano, has a focus during 2006-2007 to increase our competitiveness as a nation by improving our capacity for innovation in virtually every field by (1) educating students to become innovators, and (2) carrying this innovation imperative through the schools, the university level, and into the workplace.
....Whereas entrepreneurship education provides exactly the type of academic engagement of all students promoted by the National High School Alliance, based on relevant real-world contexts that build on community assets, allows participation in workplace-based learning, and includes performance-based assessments;
....Whereas 70 percent of high school students want to become entrepreneurs some time in their life, and entrepreneurial skills will assist students in the future regardless of whether they work in a business owned by others or run their own venture;
....Whereas the high interest of students in becoming entrepreneurs and the critical role entrepreneurs have played in advancing the national economy make it vital for the Nation's schools to provide students with training in the skills which will enable them to become the entrepreneurs of the future;
....Whereas economically independent entrepreneurs are engaged citizens who work to improve the economic environment in their local communities, providing better opportunities for businesses to operate and a better environment for the human resources they need to advance their business dreams;
....Whereas entrepreneurs have been the source of economic innovation throughout the history of the USA, and the entire society has been improved because of the new ways of doing things that have been brought about by people who market their products and ideas;
....Whereas the Partnership For 21st Century Skills identified financial, economic, business literacy, and entrepreneurship skills as the types of skills students must have in order to enhance workplace productivity and career options;
....Whereas exposing students to the types of market-driven problems faced by entrepreneurs is an excellent example of how educators can use problem-based learning strategies to prepare students for the situations they will encounter in the future, an approach recommended by the National Council on Competitiveness in its 2004 report entitled `` Innovate America'';
....Whereas entrepreneurship education has been shown to be especially effective in closing the achievement gap between minority students and others in public schools;
....Whereas students who participate in entrepreneurship education preparation have better attendance records, perform better on core subjects, and have lower dropout rates than those who do not participate in these programs; Resolved, That the _____ ______Schools be encouraged by this policy of the Board of Education to ---
- Focus the efforts of all principals, teachers and instructional support staff to examine the National Content Standards for Entrepreneurship Education in order to determine how the discovery process can be integrated into all subject areas so that the students are encouraged to think entrepreneurially as they solve problems, and as they consider career options;
- Reflect during professional development activities about how the entrepreneurial context will assist students to perform to higher levels in the core academic courses;
- Involve community entrepreneurs as mentors to teachers as they seek applications of the academic concepts and skills for the students in their classes;
- Utilize resources of the community to share with students the opportunities to meet needs as entrepreneurs, to include focusing on the contributions of entrepreneurs during EntrepreneurshipWeek USA as well as continuing the dialogue about integrating entrepreneurship concepts into all courses taught in this school system.
For information or to report your "success stories" email: Michael
The Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow are in our Schools Today! Return to EntrepreneurshipWeek USA - Education-related Partners