Page 189 - 1-Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development by Norman Walzer (z-lib.org)

178 Joseph Kayne

state standards was used by state education officials to overcome concerns
about the added time and effort associated with the entrepreneurship ini-
tiative.

Wealth versus Value Creation
The propriety of using entrepreneurship to teach math and language
skills will be challenged, especially in elementary schools. At a December
1997 symposium cosponsored by the Kauffman Foundation and the U.S.
Department of Education, an administrator from a Northeastern school
district challenged Mini-Society creator Marilyn Kourilsky, asking whether it
made sense to train young people to be “greedy capitalists.” This question
raised two important issues. First, is the public’s perception of entrepre-
neurship too narrow? And second, and perhaps more important, how does
one present the goals and objectives of entrepreneurship education?
The answer to the first question is obvious. The very fact that someone as-
sociates personal financial gain as an entrepreneur’s driving motivation sug-
gests that the continuous publicity about the net worth of people like Bill
Gates or Mark Cuban has had an impact on public perception of entrepre-
neurs and why they do what they do.
In contrast to the media persona, successful entrepreneurs reiterate that
the two primary motivators are control over their careers and the desire to
pursue a passion. In more formal surveys of successful entrepreneurs (con-
ducted by the Kauffman Foundation or as part of the Inc. 500 selection
process), successful entrepreneurs rank monetary gain seventh or eighth
among all factors (Strategic Planning 101: Reference Materials 2001).
Equally important has been the acceptance that entrepreneurship is no
longer restricted to the private, for-profit sector. The recognition that entre-
preneurial behavior adds value in both the nonprofit sector (social entre-
preneurship) and in government (public entrepreneurship) has resulted in
a proliferation of social entrepreneurship courses and centers at U.S. col-
leges and universities.
While the nomenclature may differ, value creation and productivity in
the nonprofit and public sectors has increased because of adding entrepre-
neurial principles to the equation for success. Students, parents, and educa-
tors should be continuously reminded that the entrepreneurship program
in their schools is not necessarily designed to channel every student into the
private sector. It is about pursuing passions regardless of whether such pas-
sions involve building the next Microsoft or addressing societal needs.

Financial and Human Resource Requirements
Finally, naysayers may argue that implementation of entrepreneurship
education is unaffordable at a time when schools are already strapped for