[NLA] Boston Globe Online / Nation | World / English language classes in short supply

[David J. Rosen]

NLA Colleagues,

Today's Boston Globe describes one of our country's most serious 
education problems, one which in Massachusetts, New York, Texas, 
Florida, California, Oregon, Iowa, Arkansas and Delaware, among other 
states, has resulted in long waiting lists for adult education services. 
  Immigrants, desperate to learn English for: work, daily living, 
participating in in democratic way of life, and helping their children 
and other family members, cannot find free English language classes and 
often cannot afford to pay for them.

This is an issue that conservatives, liberals, and progressives can 
agree on.  This is intolerable in a democratic society.  If your city or 
town has waiting lists for English language learning, it is time for 
public policy advocacy.  "No waiting lists for English" would be a good 
slogan (and bumper sticker) to organize around.


Read the article and learn what leaders across the country have to say 
about this problem, including:


	*  Barbara L. Strack, director of the Center for the New
	American Community at the National Immigration Forum in
	Washington

	*  Westy Egmont, executive director, and Marcia Chaffee, adult
	education coordinator for the International Institute of Boston

	*  MaryAnn Florez, assistant director for the National Center 	
	for ESL Literacy Education in Washington, D.C.


	*  Tracy Carman, a spokesman for the Literacy Volunteers of
	America, which is based in Syracuse, N.Y.


Consider what we spend, nationally on K-12 compared with adult education:

	"Nationally, the average spent by federal programs on adult
	education was $374 per student, compared with the average spent
	on a primary and secondary student at $6,835, according to the
	National Center for Literacy Education"

In late August the NLA list will resume.  Let's hear from you then about 
your state, your community.  Do you have waiting lists for English 
language classes for adults?  What actions are you taking?  Have the 
recent state budget cuts in your state made this problem worse?

David J. Rosen
NLA List Moderator


<http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/227/nation/English_language_classes_in_short_supply+.shtml>
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