Teaching the Path Home Oral History Project
Created by Maria Hantzopoulos, Seowon Bac, Brian Villa & Tammy Arnstein
The Path Home is an oral history project about the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). IRCA was historic because it was the first and only time in U.S. history that the government created a pathway to legalization for immigrants who were undocumented. At that time, there were an estimated 4 million undocumented people living and working in the U.S. IRCA’s legalization program was known as an “amnesty” because it pardoned immigrants who had been living in the U.S. without proper documentation. Nearly 2.7 million people became legalized under IRCA. To date, this was the largest immigration amnesty in the world.
The Teaching the Path Home curriculum project focuses on the oral histories of formerly undocumented people who received amnesty and a pathway to legalization under IRCA. Our team recorded these oral histories from 2016-2024. You can find the main Path Home oral history project by clicking here.
Teaching the Path Home: Curriculum GOALS
1. Students will listen to oral history clips about the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) that reflect on its significance and the contemporary immigrant rights movement.
2. Students will analyze how the 1986 IRCA amnesty program allowed many undocumented individuals—whether they crossed the border illegally or overstayed visas—to gain legal status, while exploring the diverse reasons people migrated and remained in the U.S. without documentation.
3. Through oral histories, students will explore how immigration policies affect different stakeholders, reveal immigration patterns, and shape the lives of individuals, families, and communities before and after reform.
4. Students will understand that oral histories offer a means to connect individual stories with broader cultural, political, and historical contexts. By actively listening, students can think like an oral history researcher and generate knowledge about immigrants’ rights with the intention of highlighting the unique perspectives of the participants.
The Path Home Project: Curriculum OVERVIEW
The Path Home oral history project’s historical context is set during the 1970s and 80s, before, during and after IRCA was passed, at a time when the number of undocumented people living in the U.S. had grown exponentially. The curriculum project examines the forces that led to the large undocumented population in the U.S. and explores what it was like in the 80s to be undocumented, how IRCA advocacy and implementation took shape, the role of advocacy groups and organizations, such as the International Ladies Garment Workers Union's role in IRCA, and the impact of IRCA today.
We encourage you to explore the Path Home project website on which the curriculum Is based. Videos from the project website are embedded in each of the lessons.
How to approach the lessons
The Path Home project education project offers a thoughtfully designed curriculum that engages educators and students in meaningful discussions about IRCA (Immigration Reform and Control Act) and broader immigration issues. By exploring oral histories from individuals who once lived as undocumented immigrants in the U.S., students gain a deeper understanding of the importance of personal narratives and the value of sharing these experiences with the world.
The full curriculum is organized chronologically, with seven lessons available in the drop-down menu. For teachers who have around 2 weeks for a unit on immigration and/or oral histories, use all 7 lessons. Each lesson includes detailed plans, with links, video clips, and resources available within the corresponding tab. The final lesson also introduces students to a culminating project.
We recognize that not all educational settings will have the time or capacity to complete every unit in the Path Home curriculum.
For teachers who have one week or less to teach the Path Home, we recommend pairing lessons 1 and 2 that focus on the question, What is oral history? followed by a lesson or two focusing on the Path Home oral histories in lessons 3 through 5 (Growing Up Undocumented, Defining Citizenship and/or Art, Activism & Identity).
For educators who have only one period or run an after-school programs, we invite you to explore our condensed program for shorter engagements, This option is available under the “Screening Guide Discussion” tab, where a video-based discussion allows students to explore the project’s key themes in just a few hours.
Whether following the full curriculum or the shorter version, the Path Home aims to inspire students to appreciate the power of storytelling and engage in critical conversations about immigration.