Part I: Background Information

Part I presents information for program staff about the population of adult English language learners in the United States. It describes the size of the population, countries and languages of origin, distribution in cities and states, first language background, English language and literacy levels, education levels, employment and income status, reasons for attending adult education programs, the challenges they face, and the strengths they bring to the learning setting. This section also describes types of programs that offer adult ESL instruction, the challenges that programs face, and some characteristics of effective programs.

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