Spring 2006 marks the fifth annual session of e-Congress, YLI's exciting legislative simulation. Each spring for the last five years, middle and high school students around the country have had the opportunity to roll up their collective sleeves and immerse themselves in the intricacies of the policy-making process.

e-Congress provides in-depth coverage of the workings of Congress. Students are challenged to learn about political ideology and the importance of compromise as they research, write, and debate original legislation in classroom-based committees. e-Congress incorporates valuable tools for teachers, including downloadable student handouts and research guides, a complete teacher records section, and detailed calendar and planning guides for assisting in classroom implementation. The e-Congress schedule allows flexibility in dealing with winter and spring breaks, block schedules, and access to technology resources.

Martha McIntosh at Dana Hills High School in California says "e-Congress was a terrific way to engage my students in a hands-on, first-person bill-writing activity." In fact, more than 96% of teachers who participated in the 2005 session of e-Congress rated the simulation as being of high academic quality and 93% felt their students learned a lot about the legislative process. Just as importantly, students completing e-Congress reported a sense of optimism about the law-making process. Many felt as though they could make a difference and were motivated to learn more about their representatives in Congress.

Current YLI teachers log in and follow prompts to register to participate in e-Congress 2006. Want to participate but not signed up? Simply click Sign Up at the top of the page to join the YLI community of teachers. Registration closes on Tuesday, February 7, 2006.

As always, e-Congress and all YLI resources are FREE OF CHARGE to educators! For further information email ylihelp@virginia.edu or call toll-free 866-514-8389.