English as a Second Language (ESL,ESOL, ELL, EL) Brenda: English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are for students whose first language is not English. For many years, ESL was the common abbreviation. Then it was pointed out that for many students, English is not their second language, but their third, fourth or fifth language. Some programs changed to ELL- English Language Learner. That abbreviation had problems of its own. That makes students English language Learner students and us English Language Learner Teachers. The name was changed again to EL- English Language. Whatever you want to call it, our students say they want to learn English. For simplicity, we will use ESL to talk about our students.

ESL Students Between May 2015 and April 2016 66,314 ABE Enrollees 39% or almost 26,000 students registered for ESL classes Overview of Adult Basic Education in Minnesota 2016 Rosie: In the state of Minnesota, we have almost 26,000 adult ESL students. Each program is different. Some programs may have large ESL populations and some programs may have smaller numbers of ESL students. There might a one-room school format, where the teacher has both ESL and ABE. It could be a one-room schoolhouse format with just ESL. Or, you may have six levels of English in your program.

What is ESL? ESL — English as a Second Language Instruction to those whose native language is not English. Sometimes referred to as English Language Learning (ELL). ABE Impact Report Brenda: Most ESL students come to class and say they want to learn English. They don’t always know what they don’t know or even what they need to learn.

The Range of Classes Pre-literacy level to the advanced level ABE Impact Report Rosie: As an ESL teacher, you will be teaching students at all levels. Smaller programs may only have one class. Larger programs will level students into ability classes. Even leveled classes have a wide range. You may end up with an advanced reader who cannot understand basic oral directions. Or students who can speak fluently, but can’t write a sentence. Many of our students come into the program with the idea of getting their GED. Once these students learn English, they will move into ABE/GED classes.

What does an ESL class do? Help learners develop speaking, listening, reading, writing, and grammar skills to communicate effectively in English within their workplaces, communities, and families. ABE Impact Report Brenda: I think one of the big differences between ABE and ESL classes is the focus on listening and speaking skills. Both ABE and ESL work on reading, writing, and grammar.

Who are our students? ABE Impact Report Rosie:So who are our students? Statewide, Latinos make up the largest part of our programs. East Africans and South East Asians add to that number. Your program may fall into this numbers, or it may have a totally different population. There are clusters of students from countries not on this list. ABE Impact Report

Minnesota has become one of the major immigration destinations for our country’s newest Americans. Between 1990 and 2000, the foreign-population in Minnesota grew 130%. ABE Impact Report Brenda: People are moving to Minnesota. For many, they have family already here. For some, this is where they are placed through refugee services.

In 2002, 13,522 immigrants came to Minnesota from 160 different countries representing every continent except Antarctica. ABE Impact Report Rosie: Your students may come from any country on Earth. They may have lived in the United States for two weeks or forty years. They may have no education in their country or graduate degrees. They may be seventeen years old or seventy. They may have worked for several years or never had a job. They may have clear goals, or just want to get out of the house. Some are parents and some are grandparents that want to make sure the children succeed in school.

According to the State Demographer’s Office, Minnesota will continue to be a prime destination for new immigrants. The state’s immigrant population continued to increase despite the economic slowdown. ABE Impact Report Brenda: Several years ago, the state demographer was the keynote speaker for this conference. According to him, Minnesota’s new workers will need to come from outside the state. Many places are seeing their new workforce coming from women going to work. That won’t happen in Minnesota. We have the highest percentage of women working in the world. The women here are already working. Minnesota needs newcomers to sustain our workforce.

The Somali population increased 55% between 2000 and 2004. ABE Impact Report Rosie: Trump’s travel ban will directly impact our Somali students.

The Hmong population was up 24% to 60,000. ABE Impact Report Brenda: The Hmong refugee camps closed in 2006. We had huge numbers of Hmong come into our programs. Today, that number is still high. Both men and women travel back to Laos find spouses to bring back to Minnesota.

The Latino population was up 18% to 175,000. ABE Impact Report Rosie: Latino covers all Spanish speakers. Some are from Mexico, but many come from other Central and South American countries.

Almost half (46%) of all foreign-born workers are “limited English proficient” (LEP) according to data from the 2000 Census. These foreign-born residents with poor English skills face high unemployment and limited economic opportunities. ABE Impact Report Brenda: Our students know this. They want to learn English to get a good job to support their family. They want to learn English because they live here. They want to speak to their neighbors and become part of the community.