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Since we are called On Line Democracy I
thought this recent email about educational material about how Congress works
might be useful for some of us in our work or in our families. I know it
isn't a local issue but it does relate to how our Democracy works.
Craig Brooks
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COMMUNICATOR UPDATE: August 2003
Welcome to The Dirksen Congressional Center's "Communicator" - a web-based e-newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to enhance civic education and improve the understanding of Congress -- http://www.webcommunicator.org ******************************************** NEWS FROM THE DIRKSEN CENTER ******************************************** <<< Congress in the Classroom 2003 -- A Success! >>> There are many elements that go into a successful program, but the key element to The Dirksen Congressional Center's national, award-winning education program, Congress in the Classroom, is the participation and collaboration among the teachers who attend the program. Congress in the Classroom is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on teaching about Congress. The 2003 program theme was "An Overview of Congress." Read what our participants had to say about the 2003 program: http://www.dirksencenter.org/progcongressinclassroom.htm#what <<< NEW RESOURCE: Campaign 2004 >>> For links to the most informative Internet sites about the 2004 presidential campaign, visit CongressLink's "Campaign 2004" at: http://www.congresslink.org/Campaign2004.htm. ******************************************** <<< Organization of the Executive Branch >>> The Constitution gives practically no direction on the organization of the executive branch but does mention "executive departments," which became the basis for the cabinet. The president does not develop policies or make all executive decisions alone. Presidents rely on a large staff based in the White House to handle a wide range of administrative tasks from policymaking to speechwriting. For information about salary and retirement benefits of federal employees, including members of Congress and the president and his cabinet, visit AboutGovernment. Find "Salaries and Retirement Benefits of U.S. Presidents and other Federal Government Employees" provided by the Internet Public Library at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/presidents.htm Introduce our CongressLink featured lesson to help students understand that although the president relies primarily on the White House staff for advice, he also turns to members of the cabinet for advice in areas of expertise. Find "WebQuest: A Simulated Cabinet Meeting" at: http://www.congresslink.org/WebQuests/WebQuestIndex.htm Life in the cabinet room includes many debates and discussions. Take a look at the history of the Cabinet Room and watch Chief of Staff Andrew Card's tour of the Cabinet Room. Find "Life in the Cabinet Room - Debates and Decisions" at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/cabinet.htm Why does the president need a cabinet? Have your students find out by reading the information and completing the tasks about the president's cabinet. Find "Why Does the President Need a Cabinet?" at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/executivebranch/2_execbranch.htm The president has a sizeable staff, of course, but Congress members have staff, too. To help your students learn about staff positions in Congress, have them visit CongressLink. Find "Congressional Staff Positions" at: http://www.congresslink.org/staff.html <<< Featured Grant-Funded Project >>> This month our featured grant-funded project is a Congressional Research Award of $3,500 granted to Keith W. Smith from the University of California at Berkeley. Keith's project, "Styles of Oversight: How Congress Oversees the Executive Branch," seeks to understand the kinds of oversight activities committees engage in and why they do so. Learn more about this project and others at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantcongresearchaward.htm#Grntrecipient00 <<< Executive Branch Enigma >>> 1. What are the four agencies that make up the president's office? 2. Former Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins (1880-1965) was the first woman to be appointed to a presidential cabinet. Which leader did she serve under? A) Franklin D. Roosevelt B) John F. Kennedy C) Calvin Coolidge Answers to the July issue of "Fun, Facts, and Trivia" link here: http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia0703ans.htm Welcome back to school! Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to the Communicator. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact Cindy Koeppel at mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your feedback makes a difference! *************************************************** NOTICE REGARDING E-MAIL ADDRESSES: Communicator's mailing list has over 11,000 names and is still growing. Please follow the instructions below to help us with list editing: TO CHANGE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS: If your old address will become inactive, unsubscribe using your old address, and follow the instructions below. Your e-mail address will be deleted from our mailing list. TO SUBSCRIBE to the Communicator, please follow these instructions: Send an e-mail to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the phrase - "subscribe Communicator" - in the body of the message. Your e-mail address will be added to our mailing list. TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the Communicator, please follow these instructions: Send an e-mail to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the phrase -"unsubscribe Communicator" -- in the body of the message. Your e-mail address will be deleted from our mailing list. If you experience any problem, send an e-mail to Cindy Koeppel at mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The Public Sector Network. We are an international network of people who exchange information and learning to help ourselves and others to improve the quality of governmental systems. |
