Age range

Website: www.jacolorado.org
 

Mission/Goals: To educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business and economics to improve the quality of their lives.

Sources: www.guidestar.org; www.jacolorado.org

Type of Evaluation: Quasi-Experimental (Longitudinal).

Note: The evaluation reported here may not include the Denver program.

Objective: The study assessed the long-term effects of national Junior Achievement in-school programs on student outcomes.

Impact/Outcome Findings: JA programs had a statistically significant positive association with students' attitudes and aspirations regarding education and employment. JA students outperformed non-JA students on school performance indicators such as academic honors and computer skills. JA students also had a significantly better level of understanding of the free enterprise system. JA was also found positively associated with post high school outcomes in areas such as post-secondary education, employment and general life aspirations/attitudes. For example, JA students were more likely to go to college immediately following high school, they were more confident about their educational abilities, and were more likely to have a positive self-concept.