Good Economics? The Junior Achievement Program: The Good, The Bad, My Advice

Abstract

In this SIP I attempt to shed light from a micro-perspective of teaching economics in a high school classroom onto the macro-reality of economic education in a suburban high school in Western Michigan. This school is currently practicing an all-encompassing economics program called Junior Achievement. The program is free and supplies all materials. However, it is also inflexible with extra demands that a teacher may not want to handle. While the program has some advantages, there are also disadvantages, which include the quality of lesson plans and materials. This SIP will offer a few suggestions of activities and lesson plans that I did, which will hopefully shed light on how a Junior Achievement curriculum can be supplemented in some areas, along with general recommendations for effective economics lesson plans and methods for future teachers and educators.