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MIRA works to expand access to high-quality ESOL through legistlative advocacy, programming, and our leadership role in the English Works Campaign.
For more information, please contact Claudia Green at cgreen@miracoalition.org.
![]() The English Works
Campaign (as highlighted in the Boston Globe) is a unique coalition of immigrant community leaders, labor unions,
business and civic leaders, educators, and advocates across Massachusetts working toward a Commonwealth that provides all residents with a pathway to economic
self-sufficiency; ensures a stable, skilled workforce for Massachusetts
businesses today and in the future; and integrates immigrants into the fabric
of our economy, communities and shared civic life. English Works
recognizes the key role and contributions of immigrants to the Commonwealth.
The campaign targets English proficiency as a critical tool for achieving
economic success for immigrants and an essential ingredient to the growth and
flexibility of our rapidly changing economy. The English Works Campaign calls upon business,
labor, community and government leaders to dedicate the needed public and
private resources to ESOL programming. English Works Campaign MaterialsFor a General Overview of the Campaign:
For Businesses Interested in Providing ESOL for Employees:
To Become an Endorser of the English Works Campaign: English Works Campaign Endorsement Form
ESOL Fact Sheets: English Works Profiles in SuccessThe English Works Profiles in Success series highlights successful workplace ESOL programs across the Commonwealth.
English Works in the NewsEnglish Works, JVS, and Citizens Bank Event Listed in Boston Herald's Business Outlook
7/ 7/2008
- Click above to access the July 7, 2008 Boston Herald's "The Outlook," which lists the English Works, JVS, and Citizens Bank forum on "Investing in the Massachusetts Immigrant Workforce" among weekly business events to attend.
Boston Globe Editorial on the English Works Campaign Kick-off
7/ 1/2008
- Click above to access the June 30, 2008 Boston Globe Editorial on the English Works Campaign.
English Works Leadership CircleThe English Works Leadership Circle includes high-profile and influential business, labor, civic and community leaders who speak to members of the media, elected officials, and other opinion leaders about their experience and core belief in the efficacy of workplace and other ESOL programs. They are a strong voice advocating for ESOL with their peers.
Mayor, City of Boston
President & CEO, Legal Sea Foods
Carline Desire Executive Director, Association of Haitian Women
Mike Fadel Executive Vice President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East President, The Boston Foundation
President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO
Warren Pepicelli International Vice President, UNITE HERE! New England Joint Board
Executive Director, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority
Rocio Saenz President, SEIU615
Juan Vega Executive Director, Centro Latino de Chelsea
Ellen Zane President & CEO, Tufts Medical Center
(List of Leaders Expanding)
English Works Campaign CommitteeThe English Works Campaign Committee comprises a broad network of community leaders, labor unions, business and civic leaders, educators, and advocates across Massachusetts. 1199SEIU United
Healthcare Workers East Asian American
Civic Association Boston Centers
for Youth and Families Boston
Education, Skills, and Training Corporation Cambridge
Community Foundation La Communidad,
Inc. Dominican
Development Center Dorchester
Nazarene Compassionate Center, Inc. Educational
Development Group Federated
Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, Inc. Governor’s
Advisory Council on Immigrants and Refugees International
Institute of Boston Jamaica Plain
Community Centers, Inc. MA Alliance for
Adult Literacy MA Coalition for
Adult Education MA Convention
Center Authority MA Worker
Education Roundtable MA Workforce
Board Association Literacy Works
Project of Hampden County St. Mark’s
Community Education Program UNITE HERE! New
England Joint Board YMCA
International Learning Center ![]() Events |
Rep. Honda Introduces Immigrant Integration Bill
Action Alerts and UpdatesSigned Budget Includes $31,176,348 for ABE/ESOL
7/14/2008
- Governor Patrick signed the FY2009 budget yesterday, which includes $31,176,348 for ABE/ESOL, an increase of approximately $1.1 million from last year. Thanks to everyone who called, wrote-in, or met directly with their state legislators. Please contact your Senator and Representative, as well as the Conference Committee Members, amendment sponsors, leadership, and the Governor to thank them for supporting these vital services. Click above for contact information for elected officials.
ESOL in the NewsMore Resources Needed for ABE/ESOL
3/ 4/2008
- March 1, 2008 - Boston Herald Op-Ed, by Jerry Rubin, president and CEO of Jewish Vocational Services, and Ali Noorani, executive director of MIRA.
ESOL in the News (Continued)
PublicationsReports and publications related to ESOL and ABE. Commonwealth Corporation's "Immigration's Impact on the Workforce" Research and Evaluation Brief - Released October, 2006. Brief Boston Redevelopment Authority's "Labor Market Assessment Tool: Language Skill Requirements in the Labor Market" - Released November 20, 2007. Report on the language skills of the Greater Boston workforce. MassINC's "The Changing Face of Massachusetts" Report - Released June 2005. Full Report, Executive Summary (English), or Executive Summary (Spanish) Invest in English, invest in the futureAs published in Metro Boston By Thomas Keown Nothing stands taller in the list of factors governing an individual's succes in this country than the ability to speak the English language. That ability opens doors, climbs stairs, scales buildings and a host more metaphors that wouldn't otherwise be possible. So highly does the federal government regard English proficiency that is is a prerequisite for obtaining U.S. citizenship. So importantly does Congress view it that it has been a requirement in every comprehensive immigration reform bill produced in the last two years. So relevant does the state of Massachusetts consider it that on April 12 our House budget reduced funding for adult English classes. Quite a short-sighted move in a state populated by immigrants from a hundred nations and where one in four Boston residents is foreign-born. Typically, you want to maximize your return on what resources you possess. Well, since 2000 the Massachusetts labor force has grown by just 1 percent. Without immigration, it would have shrunk. As people leave high rents and low temperatures in search of the opposite, newcomers eager to work are the most precious resource we have. Our economy depends on them. We should be wooing them, nurturing them, enticing them to stay here, work here, buy houses here and start businesses here. But there are almost 20,000 adults on waiting lists for English classes in Boston alone. Waits of six months to two years are common. The Irish Immigration Center started offering classes last year because, well, because nearly 20,000 adults that Massachusetts needs to be as productive as possible were waiting for them. Not every immigrant is going to learn English and become governor of California. But every enhanced contribution improves our state. Immigrants who speak only English at home earn 2.5 times more than immigrants who don't - so they also pay more taxes. Mothers enrolled in ESOL classes spend more time talking with their kids about school and about doing homework and meeting with teachers than those who aren't. This is not only about this generation; it knocks on to the next. State Reps. Daniel Bosley and Denise Provost have filed amendments to increase the budget for Adult Basic Education (ABE) - Bosley to restore it to last year's level and Provost to increase it by $7.5 million to $40 million. Helping newcomers learn English is a small investment in a high-yield product. These amendments should be supported. Clearing language barriersAs published in the Boston Globe October 3, 2006 EDGARD SANDOVAL, Lenita Farias, and Juan Ortiz -- all of whom work at the Massachusetts Convention Center -- are the new face of Boston. It is these workers, and 89,000 other immigrant Bostonians in our city's labor force, who carry out the essential jobs that make Boston and its businesses work. Employers in Greater Boston can support future success for new residents and businesses alike by ensuring that everyone who lives in the area has a shot at a good job. Boston must call on its rich history -- and the experiences of generations of immigrants -- to provide the basic skills that workers need. The most crucial skill is English. For all the controversy over immigration, at both the federal and state level, there's been too little attention paid to teaching the language to the thousands of non-English speakers who are working in all sectors of Boston's economy. Employers can play a vital role. Communication in the workplace is critical to any company's success. Add a language barrier, and fundamental workplace communication becomes more difficult. As hospitality, healthcare, financial services, and other industries become more and more dependent on new immigrants to staff positions, English for Speakers of Other Languages programs are no longer a goodwill or humanitarian gesture. They are a business necessity. Since 2005, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority has partnered with its workers and their union to provide English classes. Employees attend class for two hours a week -- half on work time and half on their own time. They learn basic grammar rules and build their vocabulary. Employees have gained confidence in their English, which allows them to work with colleagues more effectively and, in turn, help guests more efficiently. English classes won't just make businesses stronger. They will also strengthen the families of our employees and union members. Far from not wanting to learn English, our immigrant employees want these opportunities and the time to take classes. Improving their English skills improves their children's prospects in school and boosts their family income. And, learning English is a key step toward US citizenship -- and toward the civic engagement that makes Boston a better place for all. Thousands of other immigrants in Boston are also enrolled in English classes operated by community-, faith-, and labor-based organizations, many of them funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education and English for New Bostonians initiative. Across the city, in church basements, community rooms, and school buildings, adults are learning English. Dedicated teachers provide everything from ``survival English" to higher-level, media-assisted, and job-related English. Regardless of the industry, human capital is a precious asset. People need to come to work feeling good, positive, and glad to be there. Employers have long complained that the challenge of embarking on an English-education program is dealing with the high degree of employee turnover. As with all training programs, there is a risk to employers who invest in employees' language skills, only to see them move on a short time later. But there are solutions. A living-wage job with training and education is a job with a future and a job to stay in. An industrywide local or regional training program -- for tourism or healthcare workers, for instance -- can help create a career path for these employees at a lower cost to individual employers. Boston has an opportunity to create a model for the nation with such a program. Now more than ever, the success of the region's businesses and civic institutions depends on immigrants. Foundations, corporations, unions, universities, and others must step up to support programs, innovation, and public policy that fosters the skills to guarantee our collectiv |