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

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NEWS FROM THE DIRKSEN CENTER
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Congratulations!

The Dirksen Center congratulates teachers from all across the United States for being selected to participate in our national, award-winning education program, Congress in the Classroom 2003®. The program is now in its eleventh year and is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on teaching about Congress.

The Center selected 33 teachers from a total of 189 applications this year. We have invited 13 men and 20 women with classroom experience ranging from first year to 34 years.

A list of this year's participants: www.dirksencenter.org/progcongressinclassroom.htm#participants2003

For those whom The Center did not select, we offered the option of taking the online version of the workshop found at: http://www.congressclass.org. Anyone may take the course either for information or for certification.

Civic Education Grant Winners

Congratulations to the following Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grants winners for the May 2003 round of competition:

* Jeff Aas, Bemidji High School, Bemidji, MN, Teaching with Technology: The U.S. Constitution on CD - funded at $2,910

* Alan Rosenthal, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Teaching Democracy Appreciation - funded at $5,000

* Yvonne Marie Andes, Global SchoolNet, Encinitas, CA, Power of the Purse - funded at $4,950

* Deborah Aufdenspring, MIT Academy High School, Vallejo, CA, Destination D.C. - funded at $3,300

* Drew E. VandeCreek, Northern Illinois University Libraries Digitization Unit, Dekalb, IL, Congress and Great Issues of the Gilded Age - funded at $5,000

Learn more about these grant projects and others at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm#RecentGrants

Do you have a project? Submit a grant proposal! For more information about how to submit a Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grants proposal, please visit: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm. The Dirksen Congressional Center intends to award $35,000 in 2004, with May 1 the deadline for proposals. If you have questions about the Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grants, contact Frank Mackaman

Congress for Kids is Everywhere!

Congress for Kids - http://www.congressforkids.net - has recently received recognition for design and educational excellence from such organizations as the American Library Association, the Journal of Homeschooling, ClassBrain.com, FunHouse, and KidsClick!, among others. The Dirksen Center also learned in May that the U.S. Embassy in Russia posts a link to Congress for Kids on its Web site!

The Powers of the President

Representing a significant departure from the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution established an executive branch headed by a president. Visit The Dirksen Center's Web suite - http://www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org -- to find resources that will help your students recognize and distinguish the president's formal and informal powers and duties and learn more about the president's role in the executive branch.

The Constitution grants a few specific powers to the president, in contrast to the many powers it gives Congress. Article II of the Constitution relates to the method of election, term and qualifications for office, and procedures for succession and impeachment rather than what the president can do. Find the online version of Article II on CongressLink at: http://www.congresslink.org/artcl2.html

The president has the authority to negotiate treaties with other nations. Teachers, do your students know about these formal international agreements? If not, introduce them to the hyperlinked definition of this CongressLink-hosted term at: http://www.congresslink.org/glossary.html#T

The president selects many people to serve the government in a wide range of offices. More than 2,000 of these positions require confirmation or approval by the Senate under the "advice and consent" provision of the Constitution. Learn more about presidential appointments. Find Presidential Appointments - ThisNation.com at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/executivebranch.htm#powers

The president is authorized to propose legislation. The president's veto power is an important check on Congress. By introducing our CongressLink featured lesson plan, students will be able to summarize the veto and override process as outlined in the U.S. Constitution and used by the executive and legislative branches. They will also be able to research and graph the correlation among the political control of the respective branches, bills introduced, and the number of vetoes and overrides. Find The Veto Process at: http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/CKVeto.html

The power to grant pardons, except impeachment, is also given to the president. Our AboutGovernment hot link is a comprehensive non-partisan guide to presidential pardons and clemency actions since 1789 hosted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Find Presidential Pardons at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/executivebranch.htm#powers

Featured Project

Presidents have signed executive agreements with other countries to conduct foreign policy that do not require Senate action. The Supreme Court ruled that these agreements are within the inherent powers of the president. This month our featured project is a Congressional Research Award of $3,479 granted to Jeffrey S. Peake from Bowling Green State University and Glen S. Krutz from the University of Oklahoma. Their project, Presidential-Congressional Relations on International Agreements, 1949-2000, seeks to explain in a systematic fashion why presidents increasingly use executive agreements rather than treaties and the variation in treaty ratification success in the Senate. Learn more about this project and others at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantcongresearchaward.htm#Grntrecipient00

*NEW* Numerous limits placed on the presidency have not been sufficient enough to prevent the powers and role of the president from expanding dramatically over the last two centuries. The trend throughout the 20th century has been to increase presidential powers at the expense of Congress. Help your students learn more about the powers of the president by introducing the interactive vocabulary practice quiz posted on Congress for Kids. Find The Powers of the President at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/executivebranch/2_execbranch.htm

President's Power Puzzler

1. Overriding a presidential veto requires a _____ fraction of the vote in each chamber of the Congress.

2. Why do presidents often use executive agreements rather than treaties when negotiating with foreign powers?

A) Executive agreements don't require the assistance of the Department of State; treaties do.
B) Executive agreements don't require Senate approval; treaties do.
C) Executive agreements can be issued in secret; treaties must be publicized.
D) Foreign powers have more confidence in America's executive agreements.

Answers to the May issue of Fun, Facts, and Trivia link here: http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia0503ans.htm

See you in July! Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to the Communicator. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact Cindy Koeppel. Your feedback makes a difference!