National Coalition for Literacy

—An NCL WIA Reauthorization Priority

Article by John Segota

Most federal funding programs are created through authorizing legislation, and then funded annually through the appropriations process. The EL/Civics grant program came about in a different way: it started first as a demonstration grant at the U.S. Department of Education, and has been funded annually for over a decade, but lacks the actual legislative backing to authorize the program. This creates a significant disadvantage for the program, as it only really exists on a year-to-year basis, rather than having the opportunity to grow. Moreover, without authorizing language, the program could disappear…

. . . along with a hold harmless provision so that no state sees any reduction in its current funding level as a result of this change.

—An NCL WIA Reauthorization Priority

Article by John Segota

The demand for adult ESL programs has been growing dramatically in the U.S. for many years, however the funds distributed under WIA Title II – the largest federal funding program for adult ESL – are calculated based on the number of adults without a high school diploma. Although all adult English learners are eligible for WIA Title II programs, according to the following…

John Segota, Director of Advocacy and Professional Relations for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), shares strategies for raising awareness of adult ESL programs, including the use of social media. See the two You Tube examples below from the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in California (APALC). In the comment box, tell us what you have done or are doing to raise awareness of adult ESL programs in your community or in the Web 2.0 world. Is your class on You Tube, for example? Share those links with readers here.

Making an Impact

In…