Junior Achievement USA

To inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

A high school model to break through traditional barriers and redesign the framework of education from the inside out.

3DE was developed through a shared vision from leaders in education, business, and Junior Achievement. This collective of passionate and innovative individuals united around the belief that equitable access to high quality education is the lever to economic mobility. With 90 percent of students in public schools, the focus was to develop public-private partnerships to systemically re-engineer education to better reflect the real world and prepare students for life beyond the classroom walls. A joint venture between Fulton County Schools, JA of Georgia, and the broader Atlanta community led to the pilot of a new school model. Launched in 2015 at Banneker High School, the model quickly demonstrated the ability to drive student engagement and academic performance. Within four years, the model expanded to six schools in four districts, each serving a range of academic levels and backgrounds. Every school demonstrated a similar path to transformation: It began with shifts in culture and engagement, which year-over-year resulted in measurable gains in students’ knowledge, skills, and aspirations. All of this built towards students graduating with a vision for their future, confidence in their abilities, and a path to achievement.