[EDLING:1355] Churches, Workplaces Increasingly See Value of Offering English Classes

[Francis M Hult]

via lg-policy...

> >From blackenterprise.com
> 
> In More Places, Immigrants Finding a Voice Through ESL: Churches,
> Workplaces Increasingly See Value of Offering English Classes
> 
> 2006-03-18
> The Dallas Morning News
> 
> By Stella M. Chavez, The Dallas Morning News
> 
> Mar. 19--Jo Anne Sherlock figured English classes for adults at Irving's
> east branch library would be popular. But she never imagined how popular.
> "We didn't have enough volunteers to step up to be tutors," recalled Ms.
> Sherlock, the library's community outreach supervisor. "We had a waiting
> list pages long. ... We just could not meet the demand." Ten years later,
> these classes, now held five nights a week in two rooms at the central
> library, are going strong -- so strong that registration for new students
> wasn't offered in January because there was no room. Similar scenarios are
> being played out across the country in schools and community colleges,
> places that for years have offered adults the opportunity to learn
> English. More recently, businesses and churches are seeing the value and
> offering their own classes. Fueling the demand is the growing wave of
> immigrants from Mexico to Mozambique, among other places, who want to
> learn the language to get ahead in this country. They are immigrants such
> as Adan Mendez Martinez, 30, from a small ranch outside Queretaro, Mexico.
> He wants to start his own business and send money home to build a new
> house. Ethiopian refugee Firdawsa Samoa, 45, wants to polish her English
> skills for a cashier job at a local grocery store. Thinh Luu, 52, came
> from Vietnam in 1991. Laid off from her job with a telecommunications
> company, she's looking for work again. "I laid off, so I have time," said
> Ms. Luu, who is taking classes with her husband. "I want to find a good
> job, so that's why I want to learn English more." More than 8 million
> adults, or 5 percent of all adults, speak English poorly or don't speak it
> at all, according to a 2003 report published by the Center for Law and
> Social Policy. That number is only expected to grow, say the report's
> authors, as the number of immigrants continues to rise. It's no surprise,
> experts say, that more English language classes have popped up in recent
> years. "Now, we have a Starbucks in every corner, so how great it is that
> we have adult education in a library, a church?" said Braden Goetz,
> director of policy for vocational and adult education for the U.S.
> Education Department. Despite the demand, some programs could close their
> doors as budgets grow tighter. In Texas, for example, funding for 24 Even
> Start programs has been slashed so much that those programs aren't likely
> to return in the fall unless money can be found elsewhere. Even Start is a
> family literacy program that teaches early childhood education as well as
> adult literacy and parenting skills. A plea for funding Two letters now
> circulating in Congress emphasize the need for English literacy programs
> to improve the country's competitiveness and asks that federal funding be
> kept at least at the same level it is now.
> 
> Amy-Ellen Duke, senior policy analyst with the Center for Law and Social
> Policy, said such cuts should alarm people because the majority of the
> 2020 workforce is already out of the K-12 education system. "We really
> can't afford to waste any potential workers," she said. "It's not just a
> personal story. It's also our national economic story. And if we are
> talking about the national well-being of our country, we have to address
> this problem." According to Ms. Duke, enrollment in federally funded
> English as a second language programs for adults has increased 105 percent
> over the past 10 years. More than 77 percent of programs report waiting
> lists, she said. Dr. Nancy Montgomery, program coordinator for ESL special
> projects in Region 10, which provides training for adult literacy
> educators, said teaching adults to speak English is every bit as important
> as teaching their children. "What has struck me is the amount of programs
> that are available now," she said. "People all over the area, they're
> really doing their best, and they are trying innovative ideas and really
> working hard to get them in their class."
> 
> That is no more evident than inside the walls of area churches, where
> immigrants are being offered more than just a spiritual refuge. At Our
> Redeemer Lutheran Church in Irving, Phillip Walker teaches ESL students
> about past participles and subjunctive and infinitive phrases. "Sing,
> sang, sung," he says, pressing his 23 students to select the correct verb
> tense. The church program started in the summer of 2002 with 48 students.
> The following year, more than 200 people had registered for classes. Now,
> plans to expand the building are a result of the church's popular ESL
> program, which is free and includes child care while parents attend class.
> Money for the classes comes from the Lutheran Church and grants. Fifty
> people are on the waiting list for classes that begin in September. ESL
> students don't have to attend the church or be of the same denomination,
> but Associate Pastor Robert Gonzalez doesn't deny that many end up joining
> the congregation. "We're working to reach the immigrants as they come in,"
> he said. "What we're doing is helping them help themselves." He points to
> the computer as a reason. "Today, if you don't speak English, you're going
> to have a hard time with this." ESL in the workplace More and more
> workplaces, such as Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center at Grapevine
> Lake, offer their employees a chance to learn English. About 60 percent of
> Gaylord's 2,000 employees are from other countries. "We look at ESL as a
> tool for development because some of these employees have wonderful
> skills," said Gracie Vega, director of human resources. Now in its second
> year, the program is paying off. Several employees who've taken the
> classes have been promoted. One is now the manager of housekeeping.
> Another was moved to the entrance area of the resort, where interaction
> with guests is more frequent.
> 
> The free classes are held during work hours to accommodate employees'
> schedules. Employees must apply for the class, be in good standing and
> take an assessment test to determine their level of education. Reina
> Santiago, who works in housekeeping, said the English class she recently
> completed has boosted her confidence. "I used to be scared to speak it
> because I didn't think I would speak it well," she said. Ms. Vega said ESL
> classes are important in a company where interacting with customers is
> part of the job.
> 
> "To me, being in human resources, this is a huge retention tool." E-mail
> schavez at dallasnews.com ESL enrollment More than half of all students in
> the state's federally funded adult basic education programs take classes
> in English as a second language. The figures below show the enrollment in
> ESL and the percentage of such students in the state's adult basic
> education programs. Nationally, more than 1.14 million students were
> enrolled in English literacy programs funded by the Adult Education and
> Family Literacy Act in fiscal year 2004. About 57 percent of those
> students were between the ages 25 and 44; 21 percent were 45 or older.
> SOURCES: Texas Education Agency; U.S. Education Department
> 
> -----
> 
> Copyright (c) 2006, The Dallas Morning News
> http://www.blackenterprise.com/yb/ybopen.asp?section=ybng&story_id=90782464&ID=blackenterprise
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