About CAELA Currents

This newsletter is published quartely by the Center for Adult English Acquisition at the Center for Applied Linguistics and is offered free of charge. If you have information that you would like us to consider including in the newsletter, please contact the editor at Miriam@cal.org

To subscribe to CAELA Currents, send a message to caela@cal.org.

This publication was prepared with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, under contract no. ED-04-CO-0031/0001

The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education (ED)

Washington , DC
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April 18 & 19

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May 2 & 3

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May 16 & 17

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New Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from CAELA

One of CAELA's purposes is to provide useful information for states, programs, and practitioners working with adults learning English as a second language (ESL). A set of FAQs was developed to respond to questions and concerns about adult English language learners and adult ESL education.

Some of the questions include

• From what countries do adult immigrants come?
• Where do adult English language learners live?
• What languages do adult immigrants speak?
• What are the characteristics of adults learning English in the United States?
• How do adult English language learners differ from adult basic education (ABE) learners?
• What instructional practices best meet the needs of adult English language learners?

Each FAQ gives background information, references, and links to resources online that provide further information about the question. Each year the FAQs will be updated, and new FAQs will be added. To reach the entire list, go to http://cal-org.wdi.net/caela/esl_resources/faqs.html

CAELA's Adult ESL Resource Database

CAELA was created to help states build their capacity to promote the English language learning and academic achievement of adults learning English. One way that CAELA is fulfilling this mission is through the development of an easy-to-use database of resources. In September, the database will be accessible on CAELA's Web site. A search engine will help users find research and resources relevant to their interests in adult ESL.

Documents chosen for inclusion in the database include descriptions of the state of the adult education and adult ESL fields, research articles, evidence-based guides to instructional practice, and recommendations for further research. Document types include dissertation abstracts, academic journals, technical reports, government reports, policy documents, statistical compilations and analyses, literature reviews, monographs, and papers presented at conferences. The materials are recent (all were published since 2000) with the exception of a few important works and statistical compilations written in the late 1990s.

Every item added to this user-friendly and searchable database is coded by publication type. Accompanying abstracts describe the scope and focus, methodology, and conclusions of the document. Users can search the database by key words, categories, dates, or authors.

To familiarize yourself with the layout and scope of CAELA's resource database, consult the Classification Scheme for CAELA Documents by Document Type. We trust you'll find the materials relevant, useful, scholarly, and accessible.

For more information contact Craig Packard, Database Coordinator, at craig@cal.org.

Adolescents in Adult ESL Classes

A group of local and state school administrators, policy makers, university professors, and youth advocates met at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) June 17, 2005, to develop a policy-oriented document regarding academic literacy for adolescents learning English. Double the work: Academic literacy for adolescent English language learners, a project carried out by CAL with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, aims to define the problem of low academic literacy among adolescents learning English and outline the possible consequences of not addressing this problem. The result will be a policy document that addresses how program design, funding options, and instructional approaches can affect adolescents' academic proficiency and literacy, and that makes clear recommendations for action.

Adolescents learning English are found not only in secondary and vocational schools but also in adult education programs and community colleges. The Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) reports that in 2003-2004, there were 372,584 students aged 16-18 enrolled in adult education programs (14% of total enrollment). See Enrollment and Participation in the State-Administered Adult Education Program.

Who are these adolescents who show up in adult ESL classes across the country? These students form a small but growing population that exists, for now, on the periphery. Some of them are recent, perhaps undocumented immigrants who are looking for work and may not have a high level of literacy or academic proficiency in their first language. Others may have been here for many years and have had experience in U.S. high schools, but for academic, vocational, employment, or personal reasons have dropped out of high school. In many states, high school exit exams have made it difficult for these students to graduate. They now wish to continue their education in a less structured, more convenient program like adult ESL. The lack of reliable information about high school dropout and graduation rates makes it difficult to predict when and where adolescents will appear in adult ESL programs.

Adolescents may differ in several important ways from the adults that adult ESL program staff are used to serving. They may be struggling with identity issues, and their cognitive, personal, social, physical, or psychological development may look different from that of other adults.

Understanding these learners and their needs will facilitate the development of program designs and instructional approaches that are appropriate for them and that will help them make effective transitions to postsecondary education and work opportunities. It will also inform professional development for adult ESL teachers.

Resources

Two helpful resources on adolescents learning English are available from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL).

• A conversation with FOB... No longer for youth alone: Transitional ESOL high school. (2004, June). Interview with Principal Shelley Gutstein of the Transitional English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) High School in Fairfax, VA.Focus on Basics, Vol. 7, Issue A. ( http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=121)
• Tardaewether, V. (2004, June). What is the magic mix? Teens in adult education. Focus on Basics, Vol. 7, Issue A. ( http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=122)