Junior Achievement and the Michigan Graduation Requirement Solutions
Michigan’s new high school graduation requirement for personal finance is here—and JA is ready to help.
Junior Achievement offers three engaging, impactful programs that meet the Michigan Department of Education’s standards. These hands-on, practical resources are designed to support districts.
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 (7 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, Vice President of Programs, boconnor@jamichigan.org / 248.981.8261 or
Soumaya Arabi, Senior Director of Programs, sarabi@jamichigan.org / 313.962.5681
JA also provides K–12 curriculum support and can mobilize trained volunteers to enhance student engagement and connect financial literacy to real-world careers.