Amy Sidle

Literacy: Securing the Key to Success

As many immigrant/minority narratives have declared, including Carnegie, Douglass, and Equiano, literacy is the key to their success. Though some were self-disciplined and determined to become literate on their own, not all immigrants are as lucky. It makes me wonder how, or if, the some 38 million projected immigrants in the United States today are learning English (US Census Bureau - http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_submenuId=factsheet_1&_sse=on) . I recognize that if immigrants settle in a community of their people, like Little Italy or Chinatown, the need (and therefore, the drive) to learn English would lessen.*

            According to the National Center for Education Statistics, up to 23% of adults lack basic prose literacy skills (http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/). States with the largest immigrant populations tend to lean toward a higher illiterate level, for instance California has an average of 23%, Florida 20%, New York 22% and Texas 19%. Approximately one-fifth of these states have residents that struggle that with interpreting road signs, ordering at restaurants, understanding documents, or basic communicative skills. Not to mention that over 55 million households speak a language other than English in the home (US Census Bureau). So what is the government or community doing to help these people learn America’s main tongue?

            Since I can’t take on all of America, I’ll focus on our area, Houston. In Harris County alone, it is projected we have approximately 21% illiterate residents. As a teacher of many students who speak English as a second language, I truly believe that students need two sources of support with their education (not just their speech) – their teachers and their parents. Unfortunately, many students do not get that support at home when they are needed to translate phone calls or documents for their parents or extended family. Houston Independent School District is the largest in the state, and it recognizes this need for familial support. As part of their Parent Prep Academy, HISD offers English as a second language and computer courses for parents of students so they may better assimilate into the community and thus help and support their children do the same (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3504977.html and http://www.hisd.org/portal/site/ParentEngagementEnglish/menuitem.d0157a8ef78bc5f39709cbd5e041f76a/?vgnextoid=d81257097a9ef010VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=8053210fa27ee010VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD). Rice University offers two programs as a part of their Continuing Studies courses: ESL Intensive English Program and ESL Communication Skills Program (http://esl.rice.edu/). Though the course fee is a bit hefty, the program is several weeks of intense study and has already welcomed students from over 90 countries. The Lone Star College System offers Basic ESL classes for free for students who need to improve their basic education for personal, academic, or employment goals. They also offer Continuing Education courses in English, which are divided for more specific English speaking goals (http://www.lonestar.edu/esol.htm). These programs are certainly helpful and I’m glad to see that credible institutions are reaching out to assist those wanting to make the most out of their American experience.

            In my search for ESL courses offered to the community, I thought there would be an abundant of hits. Naively, I believed that most school districts and community centers would want to welcome those new to our country by offering a few courses that would better their American experience. While there were some courses offered to adults, most programs that I found (but didn’t feature) were for student-aged individuals, some even solely for foreign students wishing to study in the United States. I love people coming to experience our grand country, but if these students wish to stay as residents, what programs would be offered to help them assimilate outside of university education? Frankly, I would like to see more programs to help those that have given up their native country to call America their new home.

           *This research post uses almost interchangeably the terms language and literacy, two very separate things that go together hand-in-hand. My rationale is that one first must learn the language before one can become literate in English and therefore better his/her immigrant narrative here in the states. While many immigrants are proficient and educated in their native tongue (as we've read about in class), in order to reestablish themselves they must first learn English which then leads to English literacy and beyond.