Junior Achievement and the Michigan Graduation Requirement Solutions
In response to the new requirement that high school students in Michigan must take a half-credit personal finance course before graduation, the Michigan offices of Junior Achievement are stepping up to help schools and students meet this mandate by utilizing the resources, experience, and curriculum of our regional and national offices.
JA can help your school and students meet Michigan's new financial literacy graduation requirement with practical, hands-on financial education curricula. Three of our JA programs meet the requirements outlined by the Michigan Department of Education and are available to schools statewide:
Junior Achievement offers three engaging, impactful programs that meet the Michigan Department of Education’s standards.
JA Personal Finance (10 lessons): Participants also explore how their decisions can affect other people with whom they have relationships and explore and practice healthy behaviors to discuss and manage shared financial decisions. At the conclusion of this learning experience, participants will identify how their personal finances affect their quality of life.
JA Finance Park (10 Lessons + field trip): Participants learn the fundamentals of personal finance through an educator led curriculum: Value of education, career pathways, financial decison making, budgeting, insurance, taxes, and investing. The curriculum culminates with a visit to JA Finance Park, a realistic on-site simulation, where participants engage with volunteers and put into practice what they’ve learned by developing a personal budget.
JA Financial Literacy (full semester): Concepts include how to earn and save money; how to manage money by being a wise consumer and creating and using a budget; how to manage bank accounts, investments, and credit; how to assess risks and use insurance; and how to address financial problems like identity theft and debt.
For more information, please contact or complete the form below:
Beth O’Connor, VP of Programs, boconnor@jamichigan.org or Soumaya Arabi, Senior Dir. of Programs, Sarabi@jamichigan.org
JA also provides K–12 curriculum support and can mobilize trained volunteers to enhance student engagement and connect financial literacy to real-world careers.
The 2024 Statewide Educator Survey Results are published and now available.