Giving Compass' Take:

• The author interviewed Ron Beghetto, Ph.D., an expert in creative behavior and Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, about the importance and success of entrepreneurship education programs in K-12 schools.

• How would the philanthropic landscape change with an increased number of (potential) social entrepreneurs?

• Read about how entrepreneurship education can empower student innovation.

We are born with a natural desire to create and share our creations. Among rapidly developing industries with unpredictable futures, these innate qualities are the exact traits our children will need to be successful, no matter the field: innovation, creativity, collaboration, and community building.

This poses a new question. How can we sustain and build on these innate drives once young children enter school? One answer is teaching entrepreneurship education.

To learn more about teaching entrepreneurship to children, I spoke with Ron Beghetto, Ph.D., an expert in creative behavior and Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut.

He stated that teaching entrepreneurship concepts in early grades helps students become more aware of their own creativity. Schools can offer structured experiences that show students how to use their creativity and learn not to fear taking risks. Beghetto sees tremendous value in teaching kids that failure is not something to be avoided or punished, but instead embraced and shared. Part of developing a business is testing out ideas and improving on them along the way.

One approach to encourage this kind of flexible creativity is to teach students about starting and running a business, and entrepreneurship education programs aim to do just that. Thanks to the increased flexibility that educational technology can provide, nonprofit organizations like Lemonade Day and VentureLab are helping to shape the way kids approach entrepreneurship. These organizations use the same general concept—teaching innovation and business skills alongside positive character traits—but apply it in different ways.

Read the full article about entrepreneurship education programs by Alesha Bishop at Getting Smart