[AAACE-NLA] Should ESL funds be separate from ABE/ASE?

[Andrea Wilder]

On first reading, Tom, i would say that the idea makes sense.  
Immigration is a hot topic, and I think money would be available for 
ESL classes as an obvious method of acculturation.  Of course parents 
literate in English  could serve as role models, teachers, for their 
children. We need a new supply of teachers, too.

Andrea

On Jan 2, 2007, at 1:21 PM, tsticht at znet.com wrote:

> Aaace-nla Colleagues: Here is a statement about comprehensive reforms 
> for
> ESL from the executive summary of a new ESL report from CAAL to which 
> Gail
> Spangenberg called attention recently. It calls for consideration of
> pulling ESL out of the ESL/ABE/ASE line of education and instead 
> funding a
> separate line of ESL education. Is this a good idea? Tom Sticht
>
> The CAAL (www.caal.org) report says,
>
> "Targeted funding increases would make a major contribution to 
> improving the
> quality of adult ESL service. By themselves, however, these increases 
> would
> not be sufficient to reduce waiting lists or to take many innovative
> strategies to scale. To accomplish these goals, a major increase in 
> total
> federal/state funding specifically for ESL is required. At present, 
> total
> national funding is on the order of $700 million per year. Doubling 
> that
> amount would be a reasonable initial goal.
>
> Accomplishing this may well require a reconsideration of how adult 
> education
> ESL is positioned in the overall adult education system. At present, 
> there
> is no separate authorization or line item appropriation for ESL. 
> Policy and
> funding for this service are combined with policy and funding for 
> ABE/ASE.
> Yet, in most respects, ESL is a wholly different service from adult
> education for native speakers of English. It serves a very different
> population with very different needs and goals, and it employs almost
> completely different instructional methods and tools. This study 
> recommends
> that policymakers and adult education leaders consider carefully 
> whether it
> is in the best interests of all aspects of adult education, including 
> its
> adult ESL strand, to sever the present policy and funding links. In 
> many
> respects, these links are artificial and may be counter-productive to
> improving both ESL and ABE/ASE service."
>
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