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.