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. JROTC’s mission, “To Motivate Young People to Better Citizens”, is the guide post for the program’s success.
Army Junior ROTC Program Overview
The U.S. Army’s JROTC program currently operates in more than 1,700 public and private high schools, military institutions, and correctional centers throughout the United States and overseas. Approximately 40% of JROTC programs are in inner city schools, serving a student population of 50% minorities. As JROTC students (Cadets) progress through the program, they experience opportunities to lead other Cadets. A major component of the JROTC leadership and citizenship program is female Cadets. Female Cadets make up 40% of the Cadet population. The JROTC faculty is led by nearly 4,000 instructors who are retired from active duty, reserve duty, or National Guard Army service. Instructors are trained and qualified in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act 2007 to teach and mentor approximately 314,000 JROTC Cadets annually.
The JROTC Curriculum
Since 2005, the U.S. Army JROTC program has been accredited as a Special Purpose Program by the national accrediting agency now known as Cognia (www.cognia.org). JROTC curriculum provides equitable and challenging academic content and authentic learning experiences for all Cadets. All lessons are designed using a four part model to motivate the Cadet, allow the Cadet to learn new information, practice competency, and apply the competency to a real-life situation. Moreover, the four part model requires Cadets to collaborate, reflect, develop critical thinking skills, and integrate content with other disciplines. JROTC curriculum includes lessons in leadership, health and wellness, physical fitness, first-aid, geography, American history and government, communications, and emotional intelligence.
The curriculum is rigorous and relevant to 21st century education. In fact, many high schools grant core credits for some of the subjects taught in JROTC. Our curriculum meets the standards of Common Core State Standards and in many states it aligns with Career and Technical Education clusters. Cadets learn and apply the curriculum using technology in the classroom.
JROTC Co-Curricular Activities
Cadets participate in a myriad of co-curricular activities to demonstrate their attainment of lesson outcomes. Some of these activities include precision and exhibition military drill competitions, air rifle competitions (optional), Raider Challenge competitions, JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB), Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Camp, and a physical fitness competition known as JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC). Cadets who complete 4 years of JROTC co-curricular activities and its challenging curriculum will be more college and/or career ready.
College Opportunities
With assistance from an organization working independently of JROTC, the College Options Foundation can help Cadets locate colleges offering credits for completing JROTC. Additionally, Army ROTC (not JROTC) offers college scholarships to Cadets who qualify for their scholarship program. For more information, visit www.collegeoptionsfoundation.net or www.goarmy.com/rotc/high-school-students.html.
National Impact
Arguably, JROTC is one of the most successful and significantly impactful youth-oriented programs in American history. As educators and others measure success, we have identified five Quality Indicators used to measure the effectiveness of the program in high schools. These five Quality Indicators are attendance, graduation, indiscipline, drop-out rate, and GPA. JROTC exceeds schools’ averages in each of these categories:
Quality Indicators
CATEGORY SCHOOL JROTC
Attendance 90.26% 93.54%
Graduation 83% 93.98%
Indiscipline 5.2% 1.7%
Dropout 8% <1%
GPA 2.72 2.91
Continuous Improvement
As an accredited Special Purpose Program, JROTC must adhere to Cognia’s Standards of Quality. In 2015, JROTC implemented the JROTC Program Accreditation (JPA) evaluation program. The JPA provides a holistic review of Cadets’ and instructors’ performance with emphasis on documenting continuous improvement. The JPA is scheduled at BOWIE HIGH SCHOOL in October 2022.