Could you tell me more about your comment youth have tried to get into 
high school but they can't get in.  Why is that so?  It sounds that 
they within the age of attendance.  Is it just a 
misunderstanding/translation problem  about "secondaria"?  If so, is 
there a need for educating the school district personnel around that?

Or is the district reluctant to admit even those under 21 (or whatever 
the year is in your state) that the district feels may not succeed or 
graduate?  In SD, we encountered the attitude that if students were 
over 18 (even over 16 in some cases) and didn't have transferrable 
credits, the high schools strongly discouraged them from entering and 
referred them to adult ed programs instead.

I agree with you, that for many young people, high school would be a 
better option than adult ed.  Given the limited funding of adult ed, 
and therefore limited hours of instruction provided, high school can 
offer more.  High schools have everything from science labs to 
subsidized lunches, none of which exist in adult ed. Also, those youth 
that need more adult guidance and supervision may not get that support 
in adult ed.

On the other hand, some young people with adult responsibilities (say 
they are working until past midnight and don't wake up for school in 
the morning) may start in a traditional high school but eventually drop 
out.  Or those that are significantly older, in years and in maturity, 
than their high school peers may not feel that they fit in high school.

What are other people's thoughts about this decision regarding high 
school versus adult ed?  Who should make the decision?  What 
information is needed?  What is the role of those of us in adult ed in 
this decision?

Also, I would be interested in learning about other options people have 
found that work for ESOL youth.  What about Job Corps, Alternative High 
Schools, YouthBuild?

Thanks!
Yvonne Lerew

-----Original Message-----
From: Glenda L. Rose <glenda at english-now.us>
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List 
<englishlanguage at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 20:36:37 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: [EnglishLanguage] Adolescents in adult ESOL classes

    I run into this all the time.  A lot of it has to do with 
misunderstanding the school system.  My students have graduated "la 
secundaria" which looks an awful like Secondary (High) school but 
actually means middle school.  So the public schools won't let them in 
but they need English.  Personally, I haven't had any trouble with them 
in the adult classes, except occasionally leaving some of the older 
students in the dust with how fast the retain vocabulary.  I alway ask 
if they have TRIED to get into the high school first.  I really feel 
that's where they need to be, but if they can't get in and they want to 
learn, I'm going to let them.  Our program is mainly self-paced and 
self-directed, so perhaps that's why we haven't encountered to many 
problems with them being at a different developmental level from the 
adults.  Besides, many of them have adult responsibilities - taking 
care of siblings, being the bread winner, etc.  I think they add 
something to our learning community.
  
 Glenda L. Rose
 Director, English Now
 www.english-now.us

Mary Ann Florez <MFlorez at arlington.k12.va.us> wrote:
  I think it's interesting to consider that many of these students may 
legitimately be caught between adolescence and adulthood. I have 
encountered students in the past who are 16 or 17 and have produced 
documentation that shows that they have completed high school in their 
countries. They are here, working with adults, as adults, perhaps 
living with cousins or friends and paying rent, bills, etc. Some even 
have children already. When they come into our classes, much of what we 
teach--language and content--seems relevant to them. But 
developmentally, contextually, they are out of sync. They aren't at the 
same place that our adult learners are. Does anyone have any 
suggestions of how they work to mediate that?

Thanks!

MaryAnn Florez
Arlington, VA

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