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Facts

Teacher Quick Facts

Quick Facts for Teachers:

1. What is Junior Achievement?

One of the world's oldest non-profit organizations, established in Springfield, MA in 1919, of which the purpose is to educate and inspire youth to value free enterprise, business and economics to improve the quality of their lives.

Volunteers from the local business community provide positive adult role models for students in each of JA's programs. Through role play and hands-on activities, students learn about the U.S. economic system, examine their personal interests and abilities, become aware of the connection between what they learn in school and their success in life, develop interpersonal and problem-solving skills, and consider personal qualities, such as individual responsibility and integrity. The flexibility of JA's programs and supplementary materials allow specific assets to be addressed more in depth by the teacher and/or business volunteer.

External evaluations show that JA programs actively engage students in learning through hands-on activities and real-world problem solving. Further, students participating in JA have a positive view of themselves, their education, and their future roles in the U.S. economic system.

2. What programs are offered?

JA offers programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12. For an in-depth look at our programs, please visit Programs.

3. What is the cost?

Our programs are FREE to schools and organizations serving youth.

My school is not involved in JA. Can my classroom still participate?

Of course! Please click on 07.08-Class-Request.doc to download a copy of our Class Request form.

4. How often will I have a volunteer in my classroom?

That varies based on the grade level. K-2nd grade programs are 30 minutes a week for five weeks. 3rd-5th grade programs are 45 minutes a week for 5 weeks. 6th-8th grade programs are 45 minutes a week for 6-10 weeks and 9th-12th grade programs are 45 minutes a week for 6-15 weeks depending on the program.

5. What is my role in the classroom while the volunteer is here?

6. How does the curriculum relate to my class standards?

JA conducts correlations between the MCAS and Junior Achievement programs. Our programs compliment your social studies programs in direct correlation with MCAS.

Please click on the following link: http://www.ja.org/programs/programs_correlat_ma.shtml

To learn more about JA programs and view correlations to national standards as well as national evaluations please click on the following link: http://www.ja.org/programs/programs.shtml

7. What is the impact on students who participate in Junior Achievement programs for multiple years?

Findings on the cumulative effects of the JA Elementary School Program reveal that participation in JA for multiple years during the elementary grades increased student learning and skill development - specifically, problem solving and decision making skills - in business, economics, and personal finance.

Assessment of the long-term impact of students' participation in JA showed that students participating during their middle school and high school years had a better understanding of free enterprise, were more likely to be employed, and were more likely to enroll in post secondary education than were other same-age students.

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact us at (413) 747-7670.

Additional Information

Evaluation:

At the start of each JA program, volunteers and teachers are encouraged to have the students take a pre-test, designed to provide a base of knowledge against which we can measure the outcome of the program. After the JA program is completed students take the same test as a post-test and the results are compared. In addition, the success of the program is measured by teacher and volunteer evaluation forms which critique the training and support provided by the JA staff, the usefulness of the materials, the correlation to the MCAS and anecdotal impact on students or one student in particular.

Each teacher and JA volunteer receives an Evaluation form with questions targeted to elicit the information indicated above. The responses from each Evaluation form is recorded and collated to produce an overall picture of our impact and services.

To view the percentage of teachers rating JA programs as effective to extremely effective in reinforcing knowledge in the following subject areas:

Select the following: 2005-06_Subject_Area_Impact_Graph.pdf

In addition to reinforcing academic subjects, Junior Achievement helps students learn life skills such as: