We are excited to present The White House Decision Center, an experiential program in which students take on the roles of President Truman and his advisors facing real-life historical decisions. The White House Decision Center provides students with an innovative one-of-a-kind learning experience in a recreation of the West Wing of the White House. Plans are in the works to offer this program virtually and below you can follow a link to see video footage of our pilot program with schools from Missouri, Texas and Pennsylvania.

Secondary School Program

The White House Decision Center program for secondary school students, grades 8 to 12, consists of about four hours of classroom work, divided into five modules, and an experiential decision making exercise, taking about five hours, at the White House Decision Center at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library. Scenarios available focus on the Berlin blockade, the desegregation of the armed forces, and the invasion of South Korea.

• For groups of up to sixty-four students. Larger groups can be divided among two or more days.
• $12 per person, with a minimum group charge of $350. This fee includes admission to the Truman Museum. Small groups may combine to avoid paying the minimum group charge.
• The program is designed to respond to education standards, including the State of Missouri Show-Me Standards, which emphasize information gathering and analysis, problem solving, decision making, leadership, communication, group learning, the interpretation of original historical documents, and knowledge of history and government.
• Teachers and others wishing more information about the White House Decision Center, or wishing to make a reservation for a group visit, should contact Tom Heuertz at tom.heuertz@nara.gov.

Adult Program

The White House Decision Center program for adult groups requires about three hours. Participants examine historical information for information about a crisis or problem that President Truman faced. Advisers then meet to discuss the ideas and strategies they will want to recommend to the President. The President meets with his advisers to decide what to do and to prepare to make a statement to the press. Finally the President delivers his or her statement at a press conference while others become reporters and ask questions.

• For groups of from six to sixty-four people.
• $20 per person, with a minimum group charge of $360. This fee includes admission to the Truman Museum.
• Available by appointment Monday through Saturday, including selected evenings. Subject to facility availability. The facility is frequently booked by students in the day (from about 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) during the school year.
• Those wishing more information about the White House Decision Center, or wishing to make a reservation for a group visit, should contact Tom Heuertz at tom.heuertz@nara.gov.

The White House Decision Center for adults is suitable for

• Non-profit organizations
• Companies
• Government agencies
• Service clubs
• Civic and religious organizations
• Tour groups
• Adult education classes
• Professional associations

Truman Library director Mike Devine describes the adult White House Decision Center program in this way: “People have to work together when they come to the White House Decision Center, and this will help an organization’s staff or membership get to know one another and work together better in their own workplace. I think it’s valuable to take people out of their own skins for a while too, and to take them into the past to tangle with a serious crisis or problem. They have to depend on one another to do the right thing, make the best decision.”

• Email for more information

Student skills

The main goals of the White House Decision Center are:

• to strengthen skills in information gathering and analysis
• problem solving
• leadership
• decision making
• group cooperation
• increasing knowledge of history, government, and the presidency

Scenarios

• How to react to the North Korean Invasion of South Korea
• How to respond to the 1948 Soviet blockade of Berlin
• How to address post World War II civil rights and desegregation of the military

Last updated: January 28, 2008