Although there is no commitment to join the military after completion of the JROTC program, the class teaches students about the values and skills that are ingrained in America's service men and women. The U.S. Army JROTC website states that one of the main objectives of the class is to help students "become familiar with military history as it relates to America's culture, and understand the history, purpose, and structure of military services." Thus, the JROTC class focuses more on learning about military history, whereas a high school history course would provide more general information about all aspects of history.
The JROTC program places a strong emphasis on citizenship. Students learn about the rights, responsibilities, duties and values of an American citizen in a more in-depth way than in other high school classes. For example, students in the McKinley High School JROTC program in Buffalo, New York participate in community events and volunteer in community service projects as a part of their JROTC assignments. Participating in community service projects helps students learn more about the world that they live in, while teaching them how they can make a difference and give back to their community. Providing the students with the opportunity to fulfill leadership positions and conquer challenges as a team also gives JROTC students a chance to get real-world opportunities to be good citizens.
The Junior ROTC class is usually taken in place of a regular physical education course in high school. Although students earn the same credit for each class, the activities that are offered in each course are very different. A regular high school physical education course teaches about health and wellness, the skills needed to play different sports and team building. The Junior ROTC program also focuses on team building, exercise and health, but students also learn about military history, leadership and management skills and effective communication strategies.
The credentials of the teachers who are involved in teaching regular high school classes are often very different from those who teach the JROTC program. Many JROTC instructors are retired military men and women who only have the credentials to teach JROTC classes. They usually do not have the education and training that a normal high school teacher has. One school board in San Francisco is now requiring that JROTC instructors earn their physical education teaching credentials before they can teach in the high schools.