Junior Achievement links programs to Common Core, NYS standards

On Board Online • June 10, 2013

By Lisa A. Johnson
Special Correspondent

This spring, Junior Achievement of Western New York recruited University of Buffalo School of Management undergraduates to work with students in a personal finance and career exploration curriculum called JA Economics for Success®. Thirteen UB students spent 40 minutes a week for six weeks at Buffalo’s #45 International School, which serves children of refugees from more than 70 countries and only half of the students are proficient in English.

Activities included a discussion of credit scores and an activity that reinforced their understanding of the cost of credit. The final day was a career day in which a dozen speakers, including a firefighter, police officer, engineer, and hair stylist told the students about their careers, shared advice and answered students’ questions.

One of the college volunteers, Kittie Pizzutelli, recounted how one girl in her class was especially shy and rarely spoke, yet by the time the diploma ceremony rolled around, the girl gave a short speech on stage to all of her fellow students. One of the sixth graders, who wants to be a lawyer when he grows up, said, “It was a lot of fun and it was good to learn about how to be successful in the future.”

It’s just one example of how Junior Achievement provides hands-on programs that help students discover their place in the global economy.

Junior Achievement was founded in 1919 in Springfield, Mass., by Horace Moses, president of the Strathmore Paper Co., and Theodore Vail, president of AT&T. The New York  franchise was established as Junior Achievement of Schenectady in 1953. The program provides curriculums that give young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future and make smart academic and economic choices, according to Edward P. Murray, president, Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York Inc.

“We engage corporate and community volunteers who deliver relevant, hands-on experiences that give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship,” he said.

Junior Achievement programs are correlated to New York’s learning standards for social studies for kindergarten to grade 12 as well as the Common Core State Standards in English/ Language Arts and mathematics, noted John Blowers, a member of Ballston Spa school board and chairman-elect of the board of Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York.

“As a school board member, I place a value on strategic partnerships” with community organizations, Blowers told On Board. Junior Achievement offers “very complementary, fully funded programs” that support academic objectives. He said he’s seen that in his work as a JA volunteer in classrooms for 21 years.

Norm Duttweiler, a business teacher who has been with the Buffalo Public School District for a decade, has incorporated Junior Achievement into his lessons at Hutchinson Central Technical High School in Buffalo for the past two years. He organizes volunteer instructors in the JA Personal Finance and JA Success Skills programs and brings their experience into 16 classes. 

Duttweiler said the programs help students to witness real-world experience in the classroom, think about their future, develop financial and other skills to succeed and hear people outside of home and school talking about the importance of preparing for adult life.

He added that JA teaches the different methods of reaching a desirable career path. 

“This program can also help students understand that there is much more to being an entrepreneur than just being a business owner,” he said.

During the 2011-12 schools year, 130,117 students in 5,969 classrooms from 730 schools across the state participated in Junior Achievement, he added.

“One of the purposes of formal education is to help prepare our children for their role as productive members of our economic system,” Murray said. “Junior Achievement programs serve to connect the dots between what students learn in school and why that is important to their future success.”

In Western New York, Junior Achievement was established in 1958 and serves more than 13,000 students in 140 schools and community centers, according to Laurie Mahoney, president of Junior Achievement of Western New York, and Justine Januszkeiwicz, education and public relations manager. The chapter serves the eight counties of Western New York and provides schools with materials to implement programs that are requested as well as volunteers who infuse their expertise into the lessons being presented. Mahoney and Januszkeiwicz feel that students gain several benefits from participation, including:

• Learning age-appropriate economic concepts and gaining an understanding and appreciation for the nation’s free enterprise system.
• Gaining skills that will help them become financially literate.
• Discovering the economic benefits of earning a high school diploma through career exploration and work readiness curriculum.
• Working with positive role models who act as mentors by sharing real world experience. 

Murray added that the programs come at no cost to districts and are often funded by the business community, corporate and private foundations, individuals dedicated to the mission of Junior Achievement and school groups. He also stressed that the programs are evaluated and curriculum is updated on a four-year cycle in order to ensure relevancy.

Junior Achievement has evolved from an after-school activity provided to high schoolers to mostly an in-class system that includes almost two dozen programs for all grade levels. Also, with more schools signing on, the organization reaches beyond the business community for assistance in filling instructional roles.

“Changing the delivery system from after school to in-school gave rise to the need for substantially more volunteers,” Murray said. “Today volunteers come from businesses, college students, parents and other community volunteers that have the desire to share their experience with America’s future.”

For more information about Junior Achievement, visit www.ja.org.

Editor’s Note: NYSSBA staff have been involved in Junior Achievement in a variety of ways. Five staffers have served as classroom volunteers and Deputy Executive Director Rita Lashway is a member of the board of Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York. NYSSBA has also participated in Job Shadow Day, which is organized by Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York.