[AAACE-NLA] AAACE-NLA Digest, Vol 46, Issue 10 Waiting List Reduction

Thu Mar 15 11:00:09 EDT 2007

Michael and Kearney,

Immigrants, whether legal or not, are in many instances recruited by  
U.S. employers because they are hard workers and offer cheap labor.   
Recently the INS raided a factory in Massachusetts, rounded up the  
undocumented and immediately shipped them south for processing before  
being deported.  Many -- most I think -- were women.  Many have very  
young children who were left without anyone to care for them.  A  
colossal federal bungle.  Our Governor was (rightly) outraged. The  
employer has not been sanctioned and the next day the factory was  
open for business.

In some states, Massachusetts and Kansas for example, immigrants are  
essential for economic growth.  Without them, these states would lose  
population, and would not have a workforce to attract and keep  
employers.

Our federal policies on immigration, I think everyone would agree,  
are not working, and we are divided as a nation about what to do to  
improve them.  Some -- many conservatives among them -- propose a new  
legal non-citizen status for immigrants who are now illegal.  Others  
propose more and higher fences.

There is an apt West African proverb for this situation.  It goes  
like this: when elephants are in battle, the blades of grass beneath  
their feet always suffer, regardless of which elephant triumphs.

As providers of English language services, I think we must look to  
the needs of the grass roots, especially while the elephants are in  
battle. Given the purpose of this list -- advocacy for adult literacy  
education -- that means to me advocating for more federal (and state)  
resources for adult literacy education (including ESOL) so that  
everyone who wants to can learn English, attain basic skills, get a  
high school diploma or its equivalent, and be prepared for post- 
secondary education.  Given that our federal budget has declined (if  
you factor in the lost Even Start funds, declined considerably) under  
the present administration, our efforts should be united to elect a  
President in 2008 who is committed to significantly increasing  
federal funds for adult literacy education.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at theworld.com

On Mar 15, 2007, at 9:55 AM, Salyer, Michael ((DCE)) wrote:

> Pro Literacy does a great job and should be commended for its work.
>
>
>
> My only concern is the redirection of funds to address a growing  
> population. Illegal immigrants not only put a strain on the public  
> school system but on our ABE volunteers and programs as well.  As  
> an adult educator in the correctional education system, we struggle  
> for funding to provide services for our legal citizens that  
> committed crimes. It seems almost criminal to me, that we would  
> take funds from those already stressed budgets to provide an  
> education for non English speaking people who not only broke the  
> law by coming here, but then did not respect the laws of the  
> communities they live in. We need a better understanding of the  
> people we are expected to serve. They are creating an unprecedented  
> strain on our schools, volunteers, our communities and of course  
> our tax system. Giving them privileges that we deny our own native  
> citizens seems like a poor answer. Taxing me and increasing my  
> health care payments to subsidize the illegal worker industry is  
> not a viable answer in my opinion.
>
>
>
> We are in a partnership with the Mexican government to provide  
> educational services for inmates that are here illegally and are to  
> be deported to their home country upon release. They pay us to  
> teach them in Spanish instead of English. If they can do that then  
> why can’t the Mexican government pony up money for the millions of  
> illegal immigrants in this country to offset their drag on our  
> communities? Sending them back home would be my choice but maybe  
> more literate than when they arrived so when they come back they  
> can better participate in the American Dream.  Just a thought.
>
>
>
> Michael W. Salyer
>
>
>
>
>
> From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org [mailto:aaace-nla- 
> bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of Kearney Lykins
> Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 5:30 PM
> To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
> Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] AAACE-NLA Digest, Vol 46,Issue 10 Waiting  
> List Reduction
>
>
>
> Two concerns from an adult education professional who is interested  
> in workers’ rights and immigration issues:
>
>   First, what is the evidence that Jane Hugo's claim is valid:  
> "Adult educators know that they
> must find ways to engage these potential students [who are on  
> waiting lists] in meaningful
> learning activities as soon as possible or risk losing them."
> I am an adult educator and I know no such thing.
>
>   Second, does anyone know what portion of adult students who are  
> already enrolled in
> our programs are illegal aliens who have cheated the system to gain  
> entrance to our
> country, and hence into our classrooms?
>
> Kearney Lykins
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: "aaace-nla-request at lists.literacytent.org" <aaace-nla- 
> request at lists.literacytent.org>
> To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
> Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 12:00:03 PM
> Subject: AAACE-NLA Digest, Vol 46, Issue 10
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1.  Waiting List Reduction Resources Available from    ProLiteracy
>       (jhugo)
>    2.  Report released by Southern Poverty Law Center (Lynda Terrill)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 16:59:24 -0500
> From: jhugo <jhugo at proliteracy.org>
> Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Waiting List Reduction Resources Available from
>     ProLiteracy
> To: 'National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE'
>     <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
> Message-ID:
>     <221E918332E818488687199E5CBD74CE0603913C at keats.proliteracy.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
> According to recent surveys, thousands of potential adult basic  
> literacy and
> English-language students across the country wait each month to start
> learning. Adult educators know that they must find ways to engage  
> these
> potential students in meaningful learning activities as soon as  
> possible or
> risk losing them.
>
> A resource that addresses how to reduce waiting lists is now  
> available free,
> online from ProLiteracy America: Promising Practices: Reducing  
> Waiting Lists
> in Adult Education and Literacy Programs (73-pages, pdf format).
>
> ProLiteracy worked with twenty-three adult education and literacy  
> programs
> to identify promising practices that help reduce student waiting  
> lists. In
> addition to the booklet, two videos (require high speed Internet  
> connection)
> and the resources referred to in the booklet are available at
> www.proliteracy.org/resources.asp
> <http://www.proliteracy.org/resources.asp>.
>
> This project was made possible through the generous support of the  
> Dollar
> General Literacy Foundation.
>
> For more information, contact Michele Diecuch at info at proliteracy.org.
>
>
> Jane M. Hugo
> Director of Special Projects
> ProLiteracy America
> 1320 Jamesville Ave.
> Syracuse, NY  13210
> Phone: 315-422-9121, Ext. 318
> Fax: 315-422-6369
> Email:jhugo at proliteracy.org
> www.proliteracy.org
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 09:12:21 -0500
> From: "Lynda Terrill" <lrtschmed at hotmail.com>
> Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Report released by Southern Poverty Law Center
> To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
> Message-ID: <BAY135-F373F1A0C080BC0C25D0AEB1730 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> On March  12, the Southern Poverty Law Center
> (http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp ) announced a new report, Close to
> Slavery: Guestworker Programs in the United States
> (http://www.splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=247).  The report can be
> downloaded in pdf format at
> http://www.splcenter.org/pdf/static/SPLCguestworker.pdf . This  
> report may be
> of interest to those involved with workers’ rights and immigration  
> issues.
>
> Lynda Terrill
> lrtschmed at msn.com
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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> End of AAACE-NLA Digest, Vol 46, Issue 10
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