One in every six adults in the United States is an immigrant. These immigrant adults contribute to the vitality of local communities and economies across the country, but many also face barriers to integration and economic mobility, including limited English proficiency, varied levels of formal education, and persistent employment in low-wage…

State adult education systems, which receive significant funding from the U.S. government, are the primary source of many key integration services for adult immigrants--from English classes and literacy programs to civics courses and some workforce development activities. Although such programs have existed for decades, the passage of the…

Many community-based English language learning programs rely on volunteers to lead classes. While some of these volunteers have some teacher training, the majority are not professional educators. The question of how non-professionals understand what constitutes facilitation of language learning in an adult education context remains underexplored.…

Adult education programs play a critical role in preparing immigrants and New Americans (multilingual learners) for employment by building English language skills and supporting workforce preparation and training. Addressing multilingual learners' economic integration needs, one of the three pillars of immigrant integration, along with civic and…

Immigrant adults in the United States often have limited opportunities to learn English. To address this issue and to strengthen the preparation of future English language teachers, a practicum course offered in a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL) program in California was modified to engage student…

Culture orientation training is received by the approximately 78,000 to 90,000 refugees settled in the United States each year. In this text, commonly asked questions concerning refugees' ethnic origins and English language abilities are explored as well as program considerations for serving this population. Topics of discussion are: who are the…

A task force was created in November of 1978 to assess the state of foreign language and international studies in Illinois public schools. This report begins with an overview of the current decline in foreign language enrollments and offerings. The need to foster foreign language study is discussed, both for its special place in intellectual…

A discussion of adult learners of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) with special needs draws on what has been learned in an Australian program of adult immigrant ESL education and acculturation. It summarizes research undertaken within this program to identify groups of adult learners with special needs and the learning barriers that face them,…

This survey of vocational English as a second language (ESL) for adult learners covers the following areas: (1) language content (pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, style and conversational strategies, literacy training, motivation); (2) program design, including a variety of program models; and (3) materials development (needs assessment,…

The study describes an experimental program in Vancouver to teach English as an additional language to older immigrants who were excluded from existing programs for one reason or another. Classes were held during the morning hours on two consecutive days for seven weeks (with a five-week extension course) in a community center; 45 adults were…

This paper presents findings from a state-sponsored study of the adult education needs of limited-English-proficient (LEP) adults in California. The findings relate primarily to the situation of the over 2.3-million Spanish-speaking LEP adults, and within this population, to Mexican immigrants. Data were gathered in household surveys in three…

This study reports on nine family literacy projects that focus on families whose primary language is not English. The first six projects fall under the Kenan service model, which sees that children receive more or as many services as adults and is organized around children's needs. These include the Canoncito Family Support/Early Childhood…

Resource materials and program planning guidelines are set forth for the creation of a multi-level, modular program in English as a second language for adult learners. An overview of the modular system briefly discusses staff requirements, program designs, and laboratory materials. The role and duties of the teacher aide are treated. Seven…