07-10-2006, 08:49 PM
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Ashamed Person
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Member Since: Oct 2003
Location: USA
Posts: 3,237
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Adult ESL Classes - waiting lists
I’ve been in favor of a national language (English) for years. Now I am not so sure, the renewed national debate has got me to thinking.
I get irritated when I cannot communicate with someone due to their inability to speak some semblance of English. I once joked that when ordering fast food I simply point and grunt. I'm a little ashamed of that now.
Some info for your consideration:
Quote:
Waiting Times for Adult ESL Classes and the Impact on English Learners (Congressional Record Version)
June 30, 2006
Dr. James Thomas Tucker
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education Fund
Congress has recognized that the lack of resources allocated to English as a Second Language ("ESL") classes is one of the most significant barriers to the ability of immigrants to learn the English language. …
... There is a tremendous need for ESL classes, that is being unmet. Locations with waiting lists and waiting times include:
In Phoenix, the state's largest ESL provider has a waiting list of over 1,000 people with a waiting time of up to 18 months for the highest-demand evening classes.
According to the Colorado Department of Education, of the seven Denver area providers reporting waiting lists, waiting times ranged from two weeks to two months.
Half of the surveyed providers in New Haven, Connecticut reported waiting times ranging from one to twelve months.
In the Chicago area, waiting times can be as long as six months.
In Boston, where Massachusetts has mandated class sizes of no more than twenty students, there are at least 16,725 adults on ESL waiting lists, with wait times as long as three years for some programs.
Most providers in Las Vegas reported having waiting lists, with waiting times averaging two months.
In Newark, New Jersey, three of the four surveyed providers reported waiting times averaging one to three months.
Providers in Albuquerque reported waiting lists with over 1,000 names. The largest provider reported waiting times of twelve to fourteen months.
In New York City, where the ESL need is estimated to be one million, only 41,347 adults were able to enroll in 2005 because of limited availability. Most adult ESL programs no longer keep waiting lists because of the extreme demand, but use lotteries in which at least three of four are turned away. Some adult learners must wait several years.
About half of the providers in Philadelphia reported waiting lists ranging from one to twelve months.
The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reported that over half of all adults reported to be on waiting lists for 12 months or more.
A majority of surveyed providers in Seattle reported waiting times ranging from two weeks to six months. ...
http://renewthevra.civilrights.org/r...s.cfm?id=45000
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“And when I finally came in, Debbie was home from work, and I told her everything about my dinner with Andre.” [/I]-- Wally, from: “My Dinner with Andre” - a film about two people talking.
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