English Language Civics Education

Coming to America: Employment Opportunities/Civic
Responsibilities Making Sure Practitioners
Meet the Needs of New Texas Residents

The English Literacy and Civics Education (EL/Civics) Program funded by the U.S. Department of Education is one approach the federal government has provided states to address the significant shifts in U.S. demographics so markedly reflected in the 2000 Census. Texas has grown 22.8%, making it the second most populous state. Residents of Hispanic origin account for over 60% of this growth. As a result, educators will not be surprised to hear that, in many areas, enrollment in ESL classes has more than quadrupled in the last two decades. (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2001)

EL Civics funding has given many programs the funding, as well as guidance and flexibility, to design innovative programs to begin to meet the English language and civics related needs of their communities. Such programs often feature curriculum based around such tasks as passing the INS exam or helping immigrants become more active members of their communities by being able to more effectively interact with the culture, government, and educational system of the United States. (Terrell, 2000) Very often though, immigrants' needs go above and beyond obtaining the language and knowledge needed to access U.S. institutions and culture.

While curriculum based around EL/ Civics objectives holds the promise of providing new Texans with the tools needed to matriculate in the United States, these objectives may not completely meet the various, often complex, needs of many immigrants.

Practitioners strive to provide the most effective programming possible for their participants. To do so, they must work with learners to identify not only what learners feel they need to matriculate into the United States but also to identify why participants have come to the U.S. in the first place. When asking the question, Why America? The answer is often, Work! Many immigrants rightly view English literacy as a tool that will allow them to either get a job, keep a job or to obtain increased pay or promotion.

The promise of broader employment opportunities is perhaps the largest single aspect motivating individuals to come to the U.S. Yet, the economic means and educational needs of today's immigrants are much greater than those of previous generations. Not only are today's immigrants poorer than previous generations of immigrants, they are also more likely to remain poor longer and thus be more reliant on public assistance programs and be uninsured. (Camarota, 2001) According to the Center for Immigration Statistics, lower educational levels among populations of new immigrants are the main cause for this poverty gap. (Camarota, 2001) When considered together, adult educators, with their workforce development partners, are in a prime position to be agents of change, providing basic education, skills training and employment guidance to the ever-increasing numbers of under-skilled immigrants.

Year 2001 reauthorization of EL/Civics grants has ensured increased funding for EL/Civics activities benefiting local programs that are awarded grants. Texas programs that wish to maximize their potential impact to serve learners and expand their services to address the employment related needs of these learners are encouraged to collaborate with their state and local level workforce development partners.

The Office of Workforce Adult Literacy at the Texas Workforce Commission is dedicated to assisting local programs in increasing their capacity to deliver targeted basic skills education. Upcoming grant opportunities (see Funding Opportunity below), as well as technical assistance guides at our Web site
http://www.twc.state.tx.us/svcs/adult lit/adultlit_hp.html and assistance in brokering relationships between employers and workforce development partners are some mechanisms available to local adult education programs.

Together, adult educators, with their workforce development partners, can provide immigrant Texans with the wider portfolio of learning and skills needed to make their transition into America smoother and more economically beneficial.

Anson Green is the Workforce Adult Literacy Coordinator for the Texas Workforce Commission. Prior to his work at TWC, Anson taught developmental reading, and taught a Welfare-to-Work teleservice training course for Northwest Vista College in San Antonio. He recently completed a research fellowship for the National Institute for Literacy which produced the book Making It Work: A Curriculum Resource for Women-Centered Programs.

Camarota, Steven A. (2001). Immigrants in the United States-2000: A snapshot of America's foreign-born population. Washington, DC: Center for Immigration Studies.

The technical assistance field guide, Planning Literacy and Language Services for Texas' Limited English Proficient Workers, is available at TWC's Web site http://www.twc.state.tx.us/svcs/adultlit/adultlit_hp.html.

Terrill, Lynda. (2000). Civics education for adult English language learners. Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education. http://www.cal.org/ncle/DIGESTS/Civics.htm.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education. (2001). Adult Education Data and Statistics http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/index.html.