Government and Public Administration Academy

The U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is one of the largest character development and citizenship programs for youth in the world. The National Defense Act of 1916 established organized JROTC programs at public and private educational institutions. In 1964, Congress expanded the program to all military services and changed from active duty to shared support from the services and schools. As congressionally mandated by Title 10 United States Code, Section 2031, each military service must have a JROTC program to "instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment." JROTC’s mission, "To Motivate Young People to be Better Citizens", is the guide post for the program’s success.

Curriculum
The JROTC curriculum, which fully or partially addresses a number of national academic standards - to include Common Core State Standards (CCSS) - includes coursework on leadership, civics, geography and global awareness, health, and wellness, language arts, life skills, and U.S. history. The curriculum is based on the principles of performance-based, learner-centered education and promotes the development of core abilities: capacity for life-long learning, communication, responsibility for actions and choices, good citizenship, respectful treatment of others, and critical thinking techniques.

More important than "what" is learned in JROTC is "how" it is learned. Every classroom is equipped with leading edge technologies to teach, assess, and report student progress. Teachers are trained to utilize a range of technologies and develop social/emotional skills, support academic content through gaming and simulations, and promote the role of social media. Thus, students engage in meaningful, purposeful activities that lead them to demonstrate success through a portfolio of accomplishments.

Credentials

• Students have the opportunity to earn an Army Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Leadership Certificate.
• Cadets accepted for enlistment, who provide evidence of successful completion of at least 3 years of Army JROTC are entitled to advanced promotion to pay grade E-2 upon initial enlistment in an active or reserve component of the United States Army.