Why JSA

Educators

Teacher Advisors work with Junior State of America to guide students toward responsible citizenship and prepare them for educational and career opportunities. Our TAs are not chaperones: they’re mentors and partners who extend our rich civics curriculum out of the classroom and into your communities.

Skills for success.

JSA programs are recognized as strong school-year extracurricular activities and rigorous summer experiences by top colleges and universities.

Students lead the way.

Student members are capable and effective leaders. They plan and run all day-to-day activities of a chapter while you provide mentorship and watch them grow.

Watch your students thrive.

Students come to life, gaining confidence in speech and debates. Your student that hesitates to raise a hand in class may become the next JSA governor.

Activate students in the community.

You’ll watch your students become active citizens by leading volunteer and activism efforts in your community.

Professional development.

JSA offers a variety of free micro-courses on topics like student advocacy, social-emotional learning, and connecting with students in virtual spaces.

Online events for teachers.

Teacher Advisors are invited to come together to participate in online events about their experiences, sharing their wisdom and best practices.

Over 350 chapters nationwide

More than 10k current alumni in government

Guaranteed Always non-partisan

I am continually impressed with the dedication and ability of the young men and women of JSA. Never once have they said 'someone should do something.' They have always just done. I am proud to be working with today's JSA leaders as they make their way to be tomorrow's world leaders.

David Knatcal

John Burroughs High School Teacher Advisor

Identify Chapter Goals

Set SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebased) that you and your students can revisit throughout the year to track progress and make adjustments.

Create Calendars

Develop a calendar that outlines conventions, events, and other chapter goals. Use backward planning to map those goals out into manageable steps.

Plan Backwards

Plan with your end goal in mind. List the steps to achieving your goal on your calendar. Quantify goals and plan out how to achieve goals on the calendar.

Stay Organized & Focused

Using agendas, meeting minutes, action steps, and debriefs will help your chapter be more effective and teach students how to be accountable for their work.

Have questions?

What is a JSA Teacher Advisor?

As a Teacher Advisor (TA), it is your role to support students and guide them throughout the year. TAs work with student leaders to identify the traits of effective leadership and coach them to be effective leaders.

At the chapter level, the Teacher Advisor helps the chapter’s student leaders by suggesting debate and discussion topics, directing students to sources for research, and helping the chapter remain non-partisan by ensuring that all sides of the issues discussed are represented.

Are chaperones present at all JSA meetings and events?

What is my role as a TA at School-Year Experiences?

As a TA, your primary role as a chaperone is to ensure the health and safety of your students. This means knowing where they are through regular check-ins during the day and room checks at curfew. Make sure to have a means of contacting your students. Teacher Advisors are responsible for addressing disciplinary incidents with their students. Should one of your students violate JSA’s code of conduct (e.g. using drugs or alcohol at a JSA event), you will be responsible for removing them from the convention and getting them safely into the care of their parent or guardian.

What are my responsibilities as TA/Mentor?

How can I contact someone with questions?

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