The California Three Rs Project

The California Three Rs Project (CA3Rs) is a program for finding common ground on issues related to religious liberty and the First Amendment in public schools. The CA3Rs’ approach is based on the principles of American democracy and citizenship, reflected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights and applied in a public school setting.

For over a decade, the CA3Rs has provided online resources, professional development, and leadership training for teachers and education professionals in order to disseminate essential information about religious liberty and the history of religion in America.

Guidance

In 2012, Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles became the lead organization for the CA3Rs. The California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA), the Religious Freedom Education Project at Newseum in Washington, D.C., and the CA3Rs Planning Committee also support the work of the CA3Rs.

Advisory Council

The CA3Rs Advisory Council is comprised of scholars of religious studies; state and local educational authorities; advocates for religious liberty; and nonprofits. The council assists in guiding the project as well as expanding and maintaining a statewide network for appropriate teaching about religion in schools.

Teacher Leaders

Our Teacher Leaders are educators who have received extensive training about the origins and outcomes of the idea of religious liberty, particularly as it relates to the First Amendment and public schools.

The Project

The CA3Rs Project is partly based on ideas in Finding Common Ground by Charles C. Haynes and Oliver Thomas, a guide to religion and public education published by the First Amendment Center. This document outlines the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment; the responsibility that citizens have to protect and defend the rights of all Americans, including those with whom they disagree; and the respect that is necessary to maintain civil discourse about issues when people disagree because of deeply held beliefs.

What Are the Three “Rs”?

Rights
Religious liberty, or freedom of conscience, is a basic and universal right founded on the inviolable dignity of each person. In the words of James Madison, the right to follow one’s own “conviction and conscience” in matters of religion is “in its nature an unalienable right.”

Responsibility
Freedom of conscience is not only a universal right but also depends upon the responsibility of each person to honor the freedom of conscience of others. To the best of our abilities, we each bear the responsibility to understand the beliefs of those who are different from us.

Respect
Debate and disagreement are natural elements of democracy. Yet, if we are to live with our differences, how we debate is as critical as what we debate. Therefore, a commitment by people of differing convictions to respect each other’s convictions is crucial to building and maintaining a strong democracy and strong schools.

About Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation seeks to instill in our nation’s youth a deeper understanding of citizenship through values expressed in our Constitution and its Bill of Rights and to educate young people to become active and responsible participants in our society. CRF is dedicated to assuring our country’s future by investing in our youth today.

CRF 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. Under the guidance of a Board of Directors chosen from the worlds of law, business, government, education, the media, and the community, CRF develops, produces, and distributes programs and materials to teachers, students, and public-minded citizens all across the nation.

Please visit the web site of Constitutional Rights Foundation for more information.