JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF GEORGIA, INC.
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Mission Statement
Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia's mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.
About This Cause
Organization Overview The economy is evolving at a rapid pace. It is time to redesign the student experience to prepare today’s youth for tomorrow’s economy. In partnership with the education and business communities, JA is transforming the student experience bringing relevance, authenticity and application into everyday learning to energize students around academics and their future possibilities. Together, we will empower the next generation with the knowledge, capacity and motivation to thrive; to build a better future for themselves and their community. JA programs aims to achieve the following overarching goals: Relevant: connect education to real world concepts bringing a greater appreciation for academics and heightening long-term goals and aspirations. Authentic: provide meaningful and authentic experiences by infusing business connectivity into all aspects of learning to deepen understanding and sustain student engagement. Experiential: create opportunities for application of knowledge to enhance student retention of fundamental concepts and develop transferable skills for success. With more than 200 business partners and over 10,000 volunteers annually, JA serves over 168,000 K-12 students across the state through strategic partnerships with school systems. Future Direction Following the opening of the JA Discovery Center in 2013, the JA Board of Directors launched a new strategic planning process to define the organization’s priorities moving forward. Building on the learnings and success of JA BizTown & JA Finance Park, as well as the success of JA Fellows in the after-school environment, an overall theme of that new strategic plan is a transformation of the program portfolio towards higher impact and higher touch programming that drives long-term success metrics in student engagement, business and financial capability, entrepreneurship and career readiness. In particular, the organization is interested in developing additional experiential learning platforms for a complete 6th-12th grade pipeline approach, connecting students to the business community in engaging, immersive and interactive environments. As students experience JA BizTown and JA Finance Park in middle school, it becomes increasingly important for JA to provide new avenues for those students to further their learning in high school. An important aspect of our transformation is the movement from being an extracurricular activity to core curriculum and establishing strategic partnerships with school system boards and superintendents. JA believes that the principles and concepts taught through JA should be available for every student and embedded as part of the American education system. An important step towards this goal was achieved in fall 2013, as JA BizTown and JA Finance Park programming was mandated and embedded in the core curriculum for all middle school students within Atlanta Public Schools, DeKalb County Schools, Fulton County Schools and Marietta City Schools, which helped create a paradigm shift for how JA views its strategic priorities and program development moving forward. Recent survey results demonstrate the impact of JA programs: • 94% of JA students made the connection of the importance of education to their future careers • 100% of Principals found the JA program to be an invaluable experience for their students • 97% of teachers stated that JA programming promoted engagement in learning The Need for Junior Achievement Programs JA has identified the following factors as necessary components for an effective pipeline of programming: The Importance of Middle School and Transition Points It is widely understood that the nation is in the midst of a graduation crisis. According to the Georgia Department of Education, only 72.5 percent of Georgia students graduate high school, with the rate dropping below 60 percent in certain metro Atlanta districts . Also concerning, only 1 out of every 10 students in Georgia ultimately graduates with a post-secondary degree of any kind. To begin to address this issue more intentionally, JA of Georgia embarked on an extensive research project with The Bridgespan Group in 2011, to study leading indicators and drivers around dropping out of grade school and the general lack of career readiness among today’s youth. This research clearly demonstrated that the middle grades (5th – 9th) are a critical juncture for students in their decision-making processes regarding education and career pathways. It is also a time when the gap between high- and low-performing students widens and when the process of gradual disengagement from school may begin. The National Middle Schools Association describes middle school as a, “complicated period of transition” which, “has often been associated with a decline in academic achievement, performance motivation, and self-perceptions. It is a time when young adolescents are most likely to experiment with at-risk behaviors. It is also the point at which children begin to make pivotal decisions regarding their academic and career choices.” Connecting the Relevance of Education While JA understands that low graduation rates are a highly complex issue comprised of numerous academic, social, and environmental variables, research further indicates that this disengagement is in part due to students not seeing the relevance of education to their own lives or connecting the dots between what they are learning in the classroom to their future aspirations. As an example, in a recent national survey conducted by the Pearson Foundation, 40 percent of students stated that they do not feel engaged in their learning, and an additional study finds that 7 out of 10 dropouts report a lack of connection between what they were learning in school and relevance to their own lives . Without realizing the importance of education, it is easy for students to begin a gradual process of disillusionment and/or disengagement from school. JA becomes part of the solution by providing middle school programs that are intentionally designed to positively impact student engagement and motivation by enhancing the academic curriculum, demonstrating real-world relevance, introducing skill/interest alignment with career paths, providing exposure to career opportunities and reinforcing the importance of school and the value of an education. The Value of Experiential Connection to the Business Community Even for students who remain engaged in their learning, there exists a great divide between traditional classroom teachings and the business and personal financial knowledge that individuals need in an increasingly complex economic environment. Currently, only 14 percent of students receive a financial literacy course in school, and recent surveys demonstrate that 80 percent of teachers often do not feel confident or adequately prepared to deliver the material. The implications of these statistics are further compounded by the fact that more than one in six students in the US currently do not reach a globally-recognized baseline level of proficiency in economic and financial literacy, and less than 10 percent are able to answer financial questions that are more complex and age-appropriate . A deep connection to the business community can merge real-world concepts with traditional, core curriculum. However, a connection to the business community by itself is not enough to fully engage students. Expansive research suggests that comprehension of key concepts are more effective when accompanied by an experience that allows for real-time decision making, reflection and application. It is much more than hands-on learning; rather, it is the process of simulated decision-making and project-based learning with authenticity, immersion and interactivity. Current Programs JA programs are intentionally designed to positively impact student engagement and motivation by enhancing the academic curriculum, demonstrating real-world relevance, introducing skill and interest alignment with career paths, reinforcing the importance of school and the value of education and are outlined, below: In-class Programs • JA in a Day is a traditional, in-class program for elementary school students, which interweaves concepts of business, career readiness, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and the relevance of education to future success. • JA Student Leaders is an in-school program, in which high school students deliver JA in a Day programs to elementary students. By bringing high school students into a leadership position, the program employs new means of student engagement, further solidifying financial concepts and 21st century skills learned earlier in JA programs Junior Achievement’s Discovery Centers (Downtown Atlanta and Lawrenceville, GA) • JA BizTown creates a unique opportunity where middle school students interact within a simulated macro-economy, taking on the role of employee, tax payer and consumer. Students receive unique job assignments and work in teams at their assigned business, developing problem-solving, collaboration and critical thinking skills. • JA Finance Park provides middle school students with the opportunity to experience their personal financial futures first-hand. Students receive a 'life situation,' complete with job, income, education, and family scenarios and are challenged to see the benefits of wise financial decision-making such as budgeting, saving and investing. JA MBA High school model that incorporates unparalleled business connectivity and active learning in the classroom by blending traditional curriculum and interdisciplinary studies. JA Fellows A highly intensive after-school, leadership and entrepreneurship program for high school students. Hosted and advised by metro Atlanta’s top companies, JA Fellows gain real-world business experience by starting, capitalizing and managing their own small businesses over the course of 18 weeks.