Language, Literacy and Immigrant Integration in the United States Heide Spruck Wrigley, PhD

1. Language, Literacy and Immigrant Integration in the United States Heide Spruck Wrigley, PhD LiteracyWork International Las Cruces, New Mexico

2. Literacywork Int Literacywork International • LWI is a small social policy firm, focused on education and training of low educated adults and youth • Current projects: • Youth at Risk (Vancouver, B.C.) • Workforce ESL and workplace literacy (several projects) • NAAL: Demographic profiles and language and literacy skills of low literate immigrants • Professional development (ongoing PD Institutes) • Training in integrating multi-media into teaching and learning • MPI - National Policy Project

3. http://www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/

4. MPI –Center for Immigrant Integration Policy • Research Questions: • What are the language and literacy skills of foreign-born immigrants – with a special focus on • Low achieving youth • Low educated adults • Non-literate adults • How long will it take them to reach proficiency (6 levels)? • How much would it cost? • Where would the money come from? • Report: What would a high quality system look like?

5. The Big Picture: The World is Moving

6. Almost half of metro areas with 1 million plus immigrants are in the US

7. The Socio-political Context • 5.8 million permanent legal residents who are LEP • 6.4 million unauthorized immigrants who are LEP • Immigration reform provides an opportunity for change • Legalization –(amnesty) • Border control (the fence) • Employer sanctions • New emphasis on knowledge workers • Fees ($ 5000) • New citizenship test (patriotic assimilation)

8. Work numbers Literacy and Work • Immigrants are • 12% of US Residents • 15% of US workers • 21% of low wage workers • 45% of low skilled workers • Almost 50% of immigrant workers are LEP (limited English proficient).

9. The Need for Civic Integration • Concerns about societal fragmentation and ethno-cultural divisions • Concerns about an economic underclass (social substrata) of low skilled workers and their families. • Concerns about youth-at-risk and intergenerational integration • Need to bridge social and cultural distances between language groups and between English speakers and non-English speakers.

10. The case for investment The Case for Investment • Humanitarian: We are inviting immigrants to come to the US and now should help them thrive (no more sink or swim models) • Human Capital – Economic: Greater earnings with higher levels of L2 proficiency; greater taxes, fewer welfare $$$; greater global competitiveness • Social: Literacy services promote social cohesion and civic integration

11. EL Civics • Federally funded program, focused on • Life skills and civic knowledge • Preparation for citizenship test • Dimensions of civics • Cultural knowledge (holidays, key people) • Knowledge of history and government • But also focused on • Community awareness • Civic engagement • Advocacy for self and others • Leadership development

12. Experiential Civics • Scenarios and Case Studies (The company gets busted) • Virtual Visits (Visiting and documenting places, posting information and pictures on the Web) • Inquiry Maps (Explore topics of interest to students such as health, college, domestic violence) • Community Mapping (Illustrating through maps places and things that matter to students) • Brochures (Brochures designed by students for students and the community)

13. CASE EXAMPLE CLESE BRIGHT IDEASJust-in-Time Civics for Senior Immigrants and Refugees

14. The Students • Refugees often must cope with extreme losses and hard memories. • Provide opportunities for students to talk about things that matter to them.

15. http://www.clese.org

16. Pre- and Post Assessment • Can Do list • Reading Demonstration • Civic engagement scale • Outcome Assessment • BEST Test (pre-post) • Competencies checklist

17. www.literacywork.com/readingdemonstration

18. www.clese.org The Story

19. The Story • www.clese.org

20. Instructional Goals • Decrease social isolation. • Increase civic awareness and build civic engagement. • Develop communication skills in English. • Foster the “strategic competence” needed to navigate systems. • Link elderly immigrants and refugee communities with each other and with the wider community.

21. The Farm Field Trip • Create with real life context • Start with things that matter: food, vegetables, farms. • Provide opportunities for genuine conversation.

22. Compare Farm Prices and Supermarket Prices • Connect classroom to community. • Prepare, practice and review to maximize learning from field trips.

23. Navigate Systems • Provide hands-on learning experiences on how community institutions work. • Encourage social interactions. • Write the story

24. Connect to Other Communities • Speak in English with other immigrants. • Share cultures and appreciate diversity. • Be part of a community!

25. Promising Practices • Take advantage of multi-media • Put technology in the hands of the learners • Invite them to become creators of knowledge, not just users of literacy (video, brochures, PP) • Connect learners to the outside world

26. Storyboard How To: Tortilla Making

27. Alphabet Books for Adults

28. "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." Holly Dilatush