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Across Massachusetts there are approximately 18,000 immigrants who have put their names on waiting lists for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes funded by the MA Dept. of Education. In Boston, there are over 3,500 immigrants waiting for a class slot at any given time. While daunting, these figures do not even begin to represent the actual need: Some 186,000 immigrants statewide speak English “not well,” or “not at all,” and in Boston, 46,000—8 percent of the population—fall into this category.
To help address this tremendous need, MIRA has become a partner in the English for New Bostonians (ENB) Initiative. ENB is an exciting, public-private community partnership launched in 2001 by the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians and now supported by twenty private funders. Since its inception, ENB has directly addressed the urgent demand for flexible, accessible ESOL classes by increasing class slots in established and emerging ESOL programs across the city. At the same time, ENB aims to develop sustainable solutions to meet long-term needs of Boston’s immigrant communities. About to enter its sixth year, ENB is driving innovation in the field, aiming to reach learners at home and at work. MIRA and ENB are also supporting statewide efforts to increase funding for Adult Basic Education and ESOL, encouraging investment by diverse stakeholders, and helping to heighten awareness about immigrant and language issues across all sectors.
For more information, please contact Claudia Green at cgreen@miracoalition.org.