Junior Achievement of Northeast Kansas

501 S.E. Jefferson
Suite 22
Topeka, KS 66607
Phone (785) 235-3700 Fax (785) 235-8507
E-mail: ja@kansasja.org
Web site:http://www.kansasja.org/

- Fact Sheet -

Celebrating 50 years of showing students how America works.

WHAT IS JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT?

It is the world's largest and fastest-growing non-profit economic education organization. Its programs are taught by classroom volunteers from the community in both the U.S. and more than 100 countries worldwide.

PURPOSE:

Junior Achievement educates and inspires young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives.

KEY PROGRAMS:

Programs span grades K-12, with age-appropriate curricula designed to teach elementary students about their roles as individuals, workers, and consumers and to prepare middle and high school students for key economic and workforce issues they will face. Original programs consisted of the JA Company program where students formed an after-school enterprise. Currently 98% of programs are conducted in the classroom during the school day.

WHOM DOES IT REACH?

During the 2004-05 academic year, Junior Achievement of Northeast Kansas served nearly 17,000 public, parochial, and private school students with more than 500 volunteers partnering with teachers in more than 700 classrooms in Shawnee, Douglas, Geary, Riley, Wabaunsee, Pottawatomie and Jackson Counties. Junior Achievement reaches more than 2.8 million students nationwide.

ABOUT THE VOLUNTEERS:

Volunteers from local companies visit the classrooms once a week for five to 12 sessions depending on the grade level. JA provides all program materials and training. Volunteers may request grade level, time of day, and geographical location of schools.

HOW IS IT FUNDED?

All funding for Junior Achievement comes from investments by businesses, foundations, and individuals. No United Way or government funds are received. Junior Achievement of Northeast Kansas currently raises nearly $400,000 annually from a diverse source of supporters. Annual special events such as the Bowling Classic, and the Auction, also generate funds for Junior Achievement.

PROVEN SUCCESS:

A 1994-95 study on JAs educational impact by Western Institute of Research and Evaluation found that at each grade level, elementary school JA students had far greater comprehension of economics principles than a comparison group students. Among 6^th graders, JA students scored 27% higher in basic economic understanding than non-participants. On the high school level, a 1992 study by Formative Evaluation Research Association found that JA students significantly surpassed their peers in the Test for Economic Literacy.

A BRIEF HISTORY:

Junior Achievement was founded locally in 1968 and incorporated with National Junior Achievement in 1969. Horace Moses, Theodore Vail, and Murray Crane founded Junior Achievement in 1919 as an after-school high school program. In 1975, the organization entered the classroom with the introduction of Project Business for the middle grades. In the last 20 years, Junior Achievement gradually expanded its activities and broadened its scope to encompass an ever-widening student population in kindergarten through high school.

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW:

A local volunteer board of directors made up of business, education and civic leaders sets policy and direction. The national office, located in Colorado Springs, CO, provides strategic direction, leadership, and support.