Teach Democracy

Background

The Constitutional Rights Foundation was founded in 1963. In May 1993, the organization was registered as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, California. Three decades later, in 2023, the organization adopted the name Teach Democracy. ^{1 3}

Teach Democracy is a member of the Civics Renewal Network, a membership organization operated by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center of 37 aligned nonprofit organizations that offer free civics educational programs through the internet. ^{2 1}

Activities

Teach Democracy offers programs for California youth at aimed at providing education regarding civics, law, and the United States Government. Examples of such programs include the Appellate Court Experience, a program in which students are taken on a guided tour of the California State Court of Appeals, observe oral arguments of a criminal appeal, and meet with justices of the court bookended by two classroom sessions led by teachers; a Mock Trial Program, in which student groups engage in competitive mock courtroom arguments; and Project Lead, in which professional staff members of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office teach fifth-graders at participating schools about the criminal justice system for one hour a week. ^{4 5 6 7}

The organization also offers programs aimed at providing youth with leadership training and opportunities to participate in civic projects. For instance, the organization runs a Civic Action Project program wherein participating schools teach students a curriculum provided by the organizations and assist them in creating projects addressing civic issues. Past projects of participating students include a campaign to aid wildfire victims, a campaign to turn empty lots into housing for the homeless, and a campaign to support the production of crayons matching a wide array of skin tones. ⁸

Aside from its programs, the organization also provides curriculum materials to teachers. For instance, the organization provides resources aimed at helping students earn the California State Seal of Civic Engagement, series of links for students to use when conducting classroom research, materials designed to assist students preparing for A.P. exams, and lesson materials designed to contextualize civic holidays and periods, such as Black History Month, Constitution Day, and Women’s History Month. ⁹

Leadership

Keri Doggett is the vice president of Teach Democracy. Previously, Doggett taught for a decade in Jefferson County Public Schools in Colorado. ¹⁰

Jason C. Lo is the chair of Teach Democracy’s board of directors; a partner resident in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher; and a lecturer in law at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law. Previously, Lo was a law clerk to Mariana R. Pfaelzer in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. ^{11 12}

Laura Wesley is the director of programs for Teach Democracy as well as a lecturer in street law at Southwestern Law School. Previously, Wesley sat on the California State Bar Council on Access and Fairness and the National High School Mock Trial Board, taught at a Los Angeles middle school, and practiced law for the Colorado Department of Education. ¹²

Cara Shaffer is the director of development at Teach Democracy. Previously, Shaffer worked as the planned giving manager at the Gary Sinise Foundation, director of major gifts at the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Towson University, and as the events and conference manager at the Maryland Institute College of Art. ¹²