Saturday, August 04, 2007

Long Waitlists for ESL Classes

A three year waiting list for many ESL classes and no increase in MA spending since 2000. Many states have similar statistics. DP

By Bianca Vazquez Toness

WBUR.org: BOSTON, Mass. - Teaching English to immigrants is one the most neglected public policy issues in the country, according to a study released this week by a Washington think tank.

Meanwhile, new poll says 62 percent of Americans think immigrants don't even try to learn English within a reasonable amount of time.

But the demand for English language classes in Massachusetts is so great that there's a three-year waiting list, and state spending to teach English to adults hasn't increased since 2000. More than 200,000 new immigrants have arrived here since then.

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