Dear subscribers,

Please see the note and question below from Tom Sticht regarding
delivery of adult ESL services.

Lynda Terrill
lterrill at cal.org

**********

Linda: Here is a statement about comprehensive reforms for ESL from the
executive summary of a new ESL report from CAAL to which Gail
Spangenberg called attention recently. It calls for consideration of
pulling ESL out of the ESL/ABE/ASE line of education and instead funding
a separate line of ESL education. Is this a good idea? This may be of
interest to the English language list. Tom Sticht

The CAAL (www.caalusa.org) report says,

"Targeted funding increases would make a major contribution to improving
the quality of adult ESL service. By themselves, however, these
increases would not be sufficient to reduce waiting lists or to take
many innovative strategies to scale. To accomplish these goals, a major
increase in total federal/state funding specifically for ESL is
required. At present, total national funding is on the order of $700
million per year. Doubling that amount would be a reasonable initial
goal.

Accomplishing this may well require a reconsideration of how adult
education ESL is positioned in the overall adult education system. At
present, there is no separate authorization or line item appropriation
for ESL. Policy and funding for this service are combined with policy
and funding for ABE/ASE.
Yet, in most respects, ESL is a wholly different service from adult
education for native speakers of English. It serves a very different
population with very different needs and goals, and it employs almost
completely different instructional methods and tools. This study
recommends that policymakers and adult education leaders consider
carefully whether it is in the best interests of all aspects of adult
education, including its adult ESL strand, to sever the present policy
and funding links. In many respects, these links are artificial and may
be counter-productive to improving both ESL and ABE/ASE service."
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