The Close Up Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization in the United States. Founded in 1971 Close Up offers high school students an in-depth view of the democratic process, by interactive participation.
History
The Close Up Foundation was founded in 1971 by former State Department official Stephen Janger, his wife Kathleen and brother Stanford. Stephen Janger remained CEO of the Foundation through his retirement in 2005.
Participation
Close Up offers students and teachers from all 50 states and American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau and the United States Virgin Islands to come to Washington, D.C. to attend Close Up's programs. These intensive programs help students understand the key roles that they, as ordinary citizens, play as active participants in the U.S. democratic system. Many schools send groups to Close Up every year. In addition, many students decide to attend on their own or with friends. Programs are offered year-round, including summer.
The high school student program is five days and five nights and features meetings with elected officials on Capitol Hill, structured learning activities at Washington's monuments and memorials, and the chance to "live and learn" with students from other schools nationwide.
The middle school student program is five days and four nights and helps students learn first hand the lessons history can teach about good citizenship today.
Teachers and administrators who choose to bring groups of students attend an accelerated adult-learning program that includes study of some of Washington's not so well known memorials and monuments and that provides a forum for educators to share best practices with peers.
Close Up also offers a unique program for New Americans, specialized programs for Native Americans, Teaching American History (TAH) programs for teachers, and a host of theme-based programs that enable participants to benefit from Washington's seasonality. It also offers customized programs for teachers who want to "pick and choose" content to match their school curriculum and degree of difficulty.
A typical day might start as early as 7:00Â a.m. and end at 10:00Â p.m. Tuition for most programs is all-inclusive and covers room, board, in-town travel, supervision, security and more.
More than 800,000 have participated in the program.
Outreach
Close Up also serves thousands of teachers and students nationwide though its mix of classroom-based learning tools such as publications, lesson plans, TV shows and videos. Its flagship publication is Current Issues. Current Issues is an annual textbook that provides insightful coverage of public policy topics. Its pro-con format is known for stimulating debate among students and for helping students appreciate multiple points of view.
Notable Alumni
Current Members of Congress:
- Senator James Lankford (R-OK)
- Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)
- Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT)
- Representative David Cicilline (D-RI)
- Representative Carlos Curbelo (R-FL)
- Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
- Representative Adam Smith (D-WA)
- Representative Ann Wagner (R-MO)
- Representative Tim Walz (D-MN)
Former Members of Congress:
- Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
- Senator David Vitter (R-LA)
- Representative Joe Garcia (R-FL)
- Representative Betty Sutton (D-OH)
Other Government Officials:
- Rosa Gumataotao Rios, 43rd Treasurer of the United States
- Sean Spicer, 30th White House Press Secretary
References
External links
- Close Up Foundation
- 35th Anniversary of Close Up on C-SPAN
- Washington Post profile of Close Up
- Congressional Record recognizing the 25th anniversary of Close Up
- Library of C-SPAN Close Up videos
- Close Up Foundation session with President Reagan
