Ryan Stephens is on an education kick of late on his blog. I volunteered to contribute something to the discussion he's brewing over there, namely about how education should be done differently. My idea? Schools should teach entrepreneurship at every level. Here's a teaser:
If you listen to any American politician talk today, you’ll hear an earful about two things – education and entrepreneurship. Sadly, the connection between the two is rarely made. Perhaps the reason we don’t have more people starting more companies that could jumpstart our economy is because our country spent the last 20 years educating them to do anything but. It’s time entrepreneurship became a required class.
I had to take art, but I don’t paint now. I took band, chemistry, and American history, none of which I’m immersed in today. Not everyone will go start a company, but the principles learned in an entrepreneurship course will serve the student long after he or she passes the final exam. Dreaming big, taking risks, measuring outcomes, building alliances, finding customers – these are all skills anyone needs to be successful. And right now, you don’t learn them until you go to college or until you haphazardly learn on the job.
Go read the rest and leave a comment. I'm curious: what do you think schools should be teaching, but currently don't?