Call for Participation: Congress in the Classroom 2004

For Release: 

CONTACT: 
Frank H. Mackaman
The Dirksen Congressional Center 
2815 Broadway
Pekin, IL 61554 
mailto:fmackaman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Phone: (309) 347-7113 
Fax: (309) 347-6432 

*** CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: Congress in the Classroom 2004 ***

Congress in the Classroom is a national, award-winning education program
now in its twelfth year. It is sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional
Center located in Pekin, Illinois, in cooperation with Bradley
University, Peoria, Illinois, and is dedicated to the exchange of ideas
and information on teaching about Congress.

Congress in the Classroom is designed for secondary school teachers who
teach U.S. history, American government civics, political science,
social studies, or related subjects. Between 30 and 35 teachers from
throughout the country are selected each year to take part in the
program. The 2004 program will be limited to high school teachers.

The 2004 program theme will be "Election 2004." 

Participants will gain experience with The Center's educational Web
site, CongressLink - http://www.congresslink.org - which features online
access to lesson plans, student activities, historical materials,
related Web sites, and subject matter experts. Throughout the program,
participants will work with national experts as well as colleagues from
across the nation. This combination of first-hand knowledge and
peer-to-peer interaction will present new ideas, materials, and a
professionally enriching experience.

The workshop will take place from Monday, August 2 through Thursday,
August 5, 2004, on the campus of Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois.
Congress in the Classroom is free to participants. Participants are
responsible for (1) a non-refundable $100 registration fee and (2)
transportation to and from Peoria, Illinois. Many school districts will
pay all or a portion of these costs. Participants also have the option
of purchasing one hour of graduate credit from Bradley University. We
expect the per hour charge for graduate credit to be from $435 - $450.

Those teachers who are not selected for the program will have an
opportunity to register for the Web-based Congress in the Classroom
course - http://www.congressclass.org. 

The deadline for applications is March 15, 2004. Enrollment is
competitive and limited to thirty-five. Selection will be determined by
The Center. Individuals will be notified of their acceptance status by
April 1, 2004.

Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site -
http://www.dirksencenter.org/progcongressinclassroom.htm -- to see what
participants say about the program. 

If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom
2004 workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at:
http://www.dirksencenter.org/CiCapplication.htm