Beyond THE FUTURE: The Constitutional Rights Foundation

A search for information on the immigration debate led to the award-winning Constitutional Rights Foundation site and its free “Current Issues of Immigration, 2006” lesson plans. Educators (and others seeking insights into immigration that go beyond blaring headlines) also can select from a diverse series of links on topics such as the history of immigration, illegal immigrants, and the legality of denying public benefits to immigrants.

Based in Los Angeles, the Constitutional Rights Foundation is “a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating America’s young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society. CRF develops, produces, and distributes programs and materials to teachers, students, and public-minded citizens all across the nation.”

In addition to its dynamic community programs, CRF offers numerous resources to help educators enhance courses in Law and Government, Civic Participation, and U.S. and World History. One series explores school violence and lessons learned from the April 1999 tragedy here in Denver at Columbine High School. Another links discussions of the September 11 attacks with overviews of terrorism and the war in Iraq, while another introduces students to the many challenges created by the racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. CRF materials are written to present balanced reviews of all sides of covered topics.

CRF resources contribute greatly to contemporary discussions of issues that some consider too divisive and troublesome to tackle. It’s refreshing to discover organizations like CRF that are devoted to bringing community leaders in areas such as law, business, government, and education together to collect facts about issues of concern and make them readily available to educators across the country. Emotions run high when issues such as immigration and race relations are discussed in and outside the classroom. Thanks to groups like CRF, students can learn about the realities behind the blaring headlines that so often fuel our national debates.