ProLiteracy Urges President to Include ESL Funding in Immigration Reform
Syracuse, New York (PRWEB) November 16, 2014 -- ProLiteracy, the largest adult literacy and basic education membership organization in the nation, today urged President Obama to include increased funding for English language acquisition as a core component to his proposed efforts for immigration reform.
“When making plans that might lead to 11 million undocumented immigrants possessing work permits and a path to citizenship in the United States, it is imperative to provide adequate adult literacy and basic education services to those individuals to ensure their future success in our workforce,” says Kevin Morgan, president and CEO of ProLiteracy.
“We know that when immigrants have access to language and literacy instruction, they assimilate more quickly and effectively into communities and become more engaged in the economy,” says Morgan.
Adult literacy and basic education programs across the United States are struggling to meet the needs of an increasing number of immigrants seeking English language instruction. In ProLiteracy’s member network, English language learners account for almost 60 percent of all adults seeking help. But still, 74 percent of programs have student waiting lists, often longer than six months, due to lack of available resources.
“President Obama previously included English language learning in his plan for comprehensive immigration reform,” Morgan continues. “Including an increase in public funding for adult literacy and basic education is crucial because fluent English-speaking immigrants earn nearly double that of non-English speaking workers and have substantially lower unemployment rates. In other words, immigrants with strong English skills make an enormous contribution to the United States economy. It is in our best interest to provide them with these resources.”
ProLiteracy believes every adult has the right to literacy. ProLiteracy, the largest adult literacy and basic education membership organization in the nation, is committed to creating a world in which all adults are literate. It works with adult new readers and learners and with local and national organizations to help adults gain the reading, writing, math, computer, and English skills they need to be successful. ProLiteracy advocates on behalf of adult learners and the programs that serve them, provides training and professional development, and publishes materials used in adult literacy and basic education instruction. ProLiteracy has 1,000 member programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and works with 52 nongovernmental organizations in 34 developing countries.
Amy Schmitz, ProLiteracy, http://www.proliteracy.org, +1 315-214-2580, [email protected]
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