DATE:May 2008
Chris Koehler, Director of the St. James ESL Program, was asked to speak at the White House on how faith-based and community organizations can best respond to the needs of refugees and immigrants. The St. James ESL Citizenship services were highlighted as a best practice. In attendance were approximately 100 representatives from legislative offices, various government departments concerned with immigration, advocates, and people working in the field."As I listened to the various presenters, I was reminded of how successful we are in helping individuals to achieve their learning and life goals. It?s a testament to the hard work and commitment of paid and unpaid instructors, professionals and those without degrees in teaching, and all the other staff, private individuals, government and private funders, and legislators who support adult literacy. Nevertheless, I was also reminded that the adult basic education system is woefully under-funded and needs an immense increase in capacity. All the great improvements over the past few years pale in importance when we only serve one-tenth of the people who need basic skills instruction. See LiteracyNOW fact sheets on literacy in Washington for more information. Some proponents of current or soon-to-be introduced legislation want to create new systems for responding to these challenges. However, the adult basic education (ABE) system received the highest rating from federal evaluators. What we really need is a fully-funded ABE system, not new systems."
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