The Civics Connection
The Civics Connection is a Partnership with the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, Presidential Classroom, and the Office of the U. S. House Historian. The initiative has three central goals.
- To engage former members of Congress as teachers of the next generation of citizens, passing on the accumulated civic skills and wisdom of the current generation. Former members of Congress will help young people to understand Congress, to appreciate the critical issues that it must address from session to session, and to develop the skills to be able to influence public policy outcomes in their communities, states, and the nation;
- To engage outstanding high school teachers as partners with former members and other experts to develop — and train teachers to use -- innovative and engaging curriculum support materials that can be made available through the internet.
- To deliver, as part of an annually developed curriculum for middle and high school classes, on-demand and live broadcast-quality programs featuring former members of Congress as instructors.
The Civics Connection is built on three internet-based initiatives.
Understanding Congressional Issues
Understanding Congressional Issues presents, via streaming video, former members of Congress in a structured discussion of the controversies, people, and interests involved in issues that are on the current agenda of Congress. Designed to fit within the structure of a single class period, these issue explorations are accompanied by downloadable issue briefs, discussion guides, and suggested classroom exercises.
A Congressional Guide to Civics
A Congressional Guide to Civics offers on-demand video and lesson plans tied together by a single fundamental question: "What does a citizen have to know to make a difference in the American political system?"
Conversations with Congress
Conversations with Congress permits teachers to register their classes for on-line "chats" with panels of former Members. Online participants will submit text questions to a moderator. The moderator presents the question to the live panel. Attendees view panel member responses via IP-based audio and video.
This project will be pilot tested in four high schools during the fall of 2008.