College & Careers for All

Transcription

1 College & Careers for All Summary Results of the 2010 ESOL/Adult ED Provider Survey A Joint Project of: The Aspire Institute of Wheelock College & The Mayor s Office of New Bostonians

2 Aspire Institute of Wheelock College Mission: To advance knowledge and solutions in response to social and education challenges. Aspire fulfills this mission by drawing on the expertise of Wheelock College and community partners to research, plan and act to address community challenges. 2

3 Mayor s Office of New Bostonians (MONB) Mission: To strengthen the ability of immigrants and the diverse cultural and linguistic communities of which they are a part to fully participate in the economic, civic, social and cultural life of the City of Boston, and to promote the commemoration and public understanding of the contributions of immigrants The MONB carries out this mission by improving access to city services, promoting educational and leadership opportunities, strengthening the ability to participate fully in Boston s economic life, and targeting attention and resources to particularly vulnerable groups, including women, children, youth, and the elderly. 3

4 Background Growth in non-native speaking populations The MA immigrant population rose by 2.5 % in 2009, while US immigrant population declined for the first time in two decades. Immigrants now comprise 14 % (940,000) of the MA population. In 2007, over 35% of Boston residents spoke a language other than English at home, up from almost 26% in In 2007, foreign-born accounted for almost 28% of Boston s total population of 608,352. In 2007, immigrants accounted for 17% of the state s workforce, roughly double the 1980 percentage of 8.8%. Sources: New Bostonians 2009 Demographic Report; Changing Face of Massachusetts, report by MassINC, 2005; Adult Learning in Focus: National and State-by-State Data, report by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS),

5 Background (con t) Demand for ESOL classes Boston s free/low cost ESOL system serves approx. 5,900 adults, with at least 3,600 people waiting to enroll in classes in 2007 The current wait time for an ESOL class is 6 months to 2 years Need for adult education programs Less than 3 of adults 25 years or older have a BA or above, only 1 have a graduate degree. There is greater disparity across race/ethnicity, gender and income The highest level of education for nearly 42 % of Massachusetts adult population is a high school diploma or some college, but no degree. Sources: New Bostonians 2009 Demographic Report; Changing Face of Massachusetts, report by MassINC, 2005; Adult Learning in Focus: National and State-by-State Data, report by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), 2008

6 Background Taking action: Winter 2009/2010, Aspire and the Mayor s Office of New Bostonians (MONB) outline key questions: What is the level of need for advanced, college & career readiness ESOL courses and transitional supports? What is the profile of adult ESOL students? E.g. age-range, tuitionlevel, ability to learn online. What partnership needs are there between colleges, WFD & adult ed/esol programs? Spring 2010 Aspire/MONB develop and administer online survey, completed by 69 Greater Boston adult education/esol/wfd providers 6

7 Survey Results Level of Need Reported need for advanced, college-level ESOL courses and academic supports (e.g. support in college-level reading, writing & study skills) 8 74% % 1 6% Very high need Need Moderate need Low need No need Don t know/not sure 3% 7

8 Survey Results ESOL Student Profile Age range of students Tuition level students could pay 5 46% 3 25% 28% % 2 15% 21% 2 1 3% 5% 3% 1 5% 7% 5% or over 43% student are 31 years or older Providers report modest to low tuition-level needed for 74% of students 8

9 Survey Results Online Learning ESOL Student Profile Likelihood that students could complete part of their learning online/independently 5 46% % 2 15% 1 9% 7% Very likely Likely Somewhat likely Not likely Don t know/not sure 9

10 Survey Results Referral Partnership Needs Identifying students Number of students providers report they would refer to advanced ESOL courses per year if available Strategies Highly Recommended or Recommended for identifying appropriate students for advanced ESOL courses % 25% Highly Recommend Recommend % 9% 19% 4 25% 41% 44% 26% 39% 0 to 5 6 to10 11 to or more Don t know/not Number of Students sure 2 Referral from ESOL programs General admission w/ placement test Referral from employers 10

11 Survey Results Accessible course times Course times reported as Very Convenient or Convenient Partnership Needs Information outreach Outreach activities reported as Very Helpful or Helpful 8 76% 10 85% 6 55% % 54% 52% % Weekday evenings btwn 6-11PM Weekend days or evenings btwn 6AM-7PM Weekday mornings btwn 6-9AM 2 Information sessions at orgs flyers to orgs in multiple languages Direct mailings to orgs in multiple languages Bilingual radio & TV Bilingual print media 11

12 Survey Results Partnership Needs Respondent comments/suggestions: Consider co-teaching, dual course models e.g. academic content (math, science, child development, etc) and career skill development alongside ESOL instruction Support college and career transition and degree completion by developing credit-bearing coursework and articulation agreements Include strong case-management, college and career advising, and tutoring/mentoring components to support adult ESOL students Collaborate/learn from other, current ESOL college prep/transition programs (e.g. 2 and 4 year colleges, Jewish Vocational Services, English for New Bostonians, etc) 12

13 Implications There is a clear need for more college & career readiness ESOL courses and academic supports for Boston non-native speakers There is potential for adult ed/esol/wfd providers and IHEs to partner to develop new or expand existing college & career transition programs for adult ESOL learners. Partnership efforts might include: Advanced ESOL courses that offer transferrable credit & cover academic subjects Targeted student supports in college reading, writing & study-skills Stream-lined college enrollment & degree completion models It is important to learn from current ESOL-college & career prep programs to ensure quality, address gaps in services and avoid duplication of effort/competition 13

14 Proposed Next Steps Wheelock/Aspire and the MONB will pursue the following sequential steps: 1. Convene a meeting of key advisors to share current efforts & explore options 2. Research partnership models 3. Identify/pursue funding opportunities 4. Explore implementation of a pilot partnerships/courses 14