3DE By Junior Achievement & JA Academy for Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Our "school-within-a-school" Programs for Orange and Osceola Counties
JA Academy and 3DE
JA Academy:
For high-achieving students, the quality and relevance of their education is essential. At the JA Academy for Leadership & Entrepreneurship (JA Academy), students are challenged, engaged and enlightened about the boundless business and career opportunities that await them.
The JA Academy is an innovative magnet school in partnership with Orange County Public Schools that teaches students leadership and entrepreneurial skills through an integrated and challenging high school curriculum.
Our courses are designed to connect students to Central Florida's top leaders and entrepreneurs, stimulate their imagination and prepare them for a successful future as part of America's free enterprise system.
Independent third-party evaluations of the first 3 years demonstrated that JA students outperformed their peers on all of the measures examined including: PSAT tests, Reading benchmarks and Algebra Course Grades. Download the 2014 Evaluation Brief.
Our Program Features
- A "full immersion" curriculum that blends leadership, business, and academic concepts and promotes the principles of free enterprise
- Hands-on experiences such as job shadowing, internships, volunteer opportunities, field trips and executive guest lectures
- Mentoring and networking through JA's vast network of business supporters
- College credit through AP classes
- A state-of-the-art facility and learning technology, including a laptop for each student
- Qualified teachers with curriculum developed with real-world business executives
- Guidance and support for college and scholarship applications
- Completed portfolio at graduation to assist with college applications and scholarships
- Business plan development for entrepreneurial endeavors or career choices in business
- Broad "life" preparation skill
- Follow us on Instagram @jaacademyorhs
Congratulations!
Marley Torres, a JA Academy Senior at Oak Ridge High School, is a National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist! The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships where approximately 1.6 million high school students enter the program each year. 50,000 of those students are recognized by the National Merit® Scholarship Program, and 16,000 of those students become semi-finalists.
3DE by Junior Achievement:
3DE is the evolution of the JA Academy and re-engineers high school education and pushes students to discover solutions to real-world challenges, connect the relevancy of education, and develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive in today's ever-evolving economy. 3DE's multifaceted approach to learning uses case methodology to integrate real-world connectivity into the standard high school experience. This universally effective approach to learning is the anchor for interdisciplinary pedagogy, relevant connectivity, and authentic project-based application. Coursework is complemented by career readiness experiences including career-site visits, interacting with business coaches, and consultancy experiences. The result is a high school experience that reflects the dynamic pace of activity and interconnectedness of life beyond the classroom walls.
3DE dedicated teachers set high expectations and foster a strong sense of community among their students. Year-over-year, the curriculum layers in defined competencies to continually build students' skills and mindset as they advance from facilitated learning to self-directed. By the end of their four-year high school career, students graduate with the knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive in postsecondary and beyond.
3DE by Junior Achievement is currently available at Osceola High School (Osceola County), Oak Ridge High School (Orange County) and soon to be Ocoee High School (Orange County). Beginning in the 2022/2023 school year, Osceola and Oak Ridge High Schools will be at capacity with 1051 students in grades 9-12, with a 98% graduation rate (5% above the school average). Newly added Ocoee High School will begin with 9th grade and within four years be at capacity with 600 9 -12 grade 3DE students.
3DE Outcomes
By mirroring the school's range of academic levels and socio-economic demographics, the performance of 3DE students dispels entrenched assumptions on student learning and creates a natural path to influence strategies throughout campus. 3DE consistently outperforms across key students impact matric*
- 89% Stronger Academic Performance
- 93% Higher Attendance Rates
- 100% Increased Graduation Rates
- 100% Higher College Enrollment Rates
*Statistics shown are national aggregates – as of 2/1/22
Current Central Florida Milestones
- 751 Students currently enrolled in two high schools - Oak Ridge and Osceola High Schools
- 3 schools by fall 2022, opening new 3DE at Ocoee High School
- 35 Teachers dedicated the 3DE interdisciplinary Faculty.
- 100 Local Business partners engaged
- 22.3% Fewer cases of Chronic Absenteeism
- 90% 3DE students are outperforming on State Assessments test compared to non-3DE students at the same school.
For more information about 3DE, click here.
The 3DE model leverages our networks, resources and expertise to create a cost-effective and scalable solution that maximizes the impact for all involved. In addition, 3DE will continue to develop and initiate regional partnerships to demonstrate sustainability. Our business partnership network ranges from national partners. We are grateful to our Business Partners for their support of 3DE:
This school year 2021/2022, our 9th and 10th case challenge partners at Oak Ridge High School are: Deloitte, Jackson Healthcare/Avant, Arby's, Universal Orlando, Delta Airlines, Truist, Junior Achievement of Central Florida, Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, The Home Depot, Spanx, UPS and Bank of America. Our case studies partners for 11th grade are CNA, Regions Bank, CHEP and Skanska.
And, our 2021/2022 case challenge partners at Osceola High School: imec, Kissimmee Utility Authority, Arby's, Walt Disney World, Delta Airlines, Truist, ReliaQuest, Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital, The Home Depot, Spanx, UPS and Bank of America. Our case studies partners for 11th grade are JPMorgan Chase, Regions Bank, CHEP and Skanska.
Last school year, our case challenge partners were : Deloitte, Jackson Healthcare/Avant, Arby's, Universal Orlando, Delta Airlines, Truist, BankUnited, Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, The Home Depot, Spanx, UPS, imec, Kissimmee Utility Authority, Walt Disney Worl, CHEP, Bank of America and The Corridor.
Thank you for your committment of time and resources for 3DE.
General information about becoming a 3DE case challenge partner or to volunteer as a business coach in the classroom - please contact Kristine Vorpagel at kvorpagel@jacentralfl.org.
General information on the JA Academy can be found by conrtacting Anni at aaltz@jacentralfl.org. Donors may also help support the JAA Student Scholarship Fund, helping students get the most exceptional four-year high school education in Central Florida. If you are interested in supporting or donating directly to the JA Academy please call (407) 898-2121.
Apply Here!
View JA Academy Parent Resources - Student Forms About JA Academy Parent Resources - Student Forms
JA Academy Milestones: The First Graduating Class
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