10.F.17) Expand funding for the adult basic education, including English for Speakers of Other Languages

Working-age immigrants with limited English skills account for 6% of the state’s workforce, and a third of Massachusetts adults have been found to be below the lowest literacy skill level.  Adult Basic Education (ABE) includes basic literacy services for adults, General Educational Development (GED), and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).  Most such programs are administered by the Massachusetts Department of Education.  According to the Department, in May of 2008, there were nearly 19,000 people on the waitlist for ABE classes. Of this number, nearly 14,000 are waiting for ESOL classes.  

The current state spending on ABE is $32.5 million, and 2/3 of these funds are currently used for ESOL instruction. Doubling the allocations for ABE in the state budget is a critical first step in developing a skilled workforce that is both native-language literate and English proficient.  Increased availability and accessibility should be monitored and reported by organizations with strong community roots and regional credibility.

17.a    The Legislature should double the spending on Adult Basic Education

Add Comment

Parent Strategy: 
Invest in a Skilled Workforce
Parent Sub-Strategy: 
F. Position the growing immigrant population as a key asset to the region’s economy
Tags:

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Please reference the item you are commenting on by number and name.
Spam Filter
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
ten - = zero
Solve this math question and enter the solution with digits. E.g. for "two plus four = ?" enter "6".