Presidential classroom
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Presidential Classroom provides the next generation of civic leaders with an extraordinary academic and leadership development experience in Washington, D.C. High School sophomores, juniors and seniors observe the federal government at work, witness the development of public policy and explore the roles of citizens, lawmakers, experts and businesses in the world’s most successful democracy. Presidential Classroom takes students behind the scenes of our nation’s capital for seminars and discussions featuring members of Congress, presidential appointees, senior military officials, top business leaders and journalists. Students also observe the United States Congress in action, visit the renowned sites of our nation’s capital and debate key issues with their peers. Many PC Scholars mark their week in Washington as a turning point in the search for their future role in society.
For over four decades, Presidential Classroom has introduced more than 120,000 young men and women to the interaction among government, business, politics, advocacy organizations, and the citizenry that shapes public policy and to the opinion leaders who make it. Our mission is to educate and motivate outstanding students to aspire to leadership by providing the highest quality civic education programs.
Presidential Classroom provides today's outstanding high school students from the United States and abroad with rigorous educational experiences in Washington, DC that prepares them for roles as leaders in public service and private enterprise. Recent speakers include: Former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, Vice President Richard Cheney; Cabinet Secretaries Elaine Chao and Mike Johanns; Secret Service Director, Mark J. Sullivan; U.S. Marshals Director, John Clark; special assistant to the President, Frances Townsend; former presidential candidate Ralph Nader; DNC Chairman, Howard Dean; inventor Dean Kamen; Vice President of The Washington Post Ben Bradlee; correspondents Pete Williams, NBC and Ann Compton, ABC; former press secretary Tony Snow; former Marine Corps Commandant General Michael Hagee; and General Peter Pace;University of Richmond Chancellor, Dr. E. Bruce Heilman; Astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
HISTORY
In 1968, with the rise of a strong youth voice in American politics, Presidential Classroom was chartered in Washington, D.C. Presidential Classroom followed in the tradition of U.S. Presidents who were interested in education (some were educators themselves), including Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon B. Johnson. President Kennedy, who challenged the young to public service, sponsored two pilot programs during his administration - “Widening Horizons” and the “White House Seminars.” During the Johnson Administration, Vice President Hubert Humphrey led the “Washington Briefings.” As the success of the idea became apparent and more students clamored to learn how their government worked in the nation’s capital, the blueprint for the program was transferred from the White House to a board of directors, comprised of prominent educators and citizens, to become Presidential Classroom.
In recent years, Presidential Classroom, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) civic organization, has developed new programs to address issues concerning science and technology, business, national security, law and justice, news media and international relations. These programs, along with the flagship Presidential Classroom Scholars Program, now attract thousands of outstanding high school students to Washington annually.
