Educate and Elevate Iowa - Adult Education & Literacy

All teachers strive to help students succeed, and yet, without reflection, we may find our well-intentioned efforts reinforcing barriers to equity. While advocates have long defended English Language Learners’ access to equal educational opportunities in K-12 schools, less attention has been paid to adult learners in federally-funded ABE and ESL programs. What are the rights of adult English Learners, and how can adult educators promote equal educational opportunities in our individual spheres of influence? To answer these questions, an overview of the rights of adult ELLs will provided and best practices relative to program challenges will be discussed. Participants will engage in reflective practice and identify steps educators can take to ensure more equitable opportunities in WIOA programs for language minority adults.