MCAEL :: Advocacy

On April 8th, MCAEL presented testimony to the Montgomery County Council. Click here to view the testimony. You can also review our Talking Points and Fact Sheet to learn more about adult English literacy in Montgomery County and why your support is needed. View our new MCAEL Data Book to see the latest statistics on limited English proficient adults in the County.

A big thank you to all our supporters who joined us in the audience.

If you have not yet written to the County Council to share your support for MCAEL's budget, it's not too late and we need your help!

On April 15th, MCAEL and several MCAEL providers presented testimony before the County Council and shared hundreds of student letters thanking the council for their support.

Here's what some County Council members had to say about the Coalition during previous testimony:

Council President Mike Knapp thanked MCAEL for our new role:
"They have willingly accepted the role of effectively coordinating all of our adult literacy grants this year..that’s a big step, and I appreciate in three years time where they’ve come from..that they are operating so effectively that they can accommodate that and are willing to work with the County to effectively implement that this year."

Councilmember George Leventhal spoke of the need for ongoing Council support:
"I want to enlist my colleagues' interest in the work of this coalition because it is something we should take pride in…it’s something the County Council got up and going and really has experienced significant success.”

Councilmember Mark Elrich spoke of the vital role of English literacy and other social services in supporting student achievement:
“Part of what brings a child to school prepared to learn is all the rest of the environment….every household where the adults learn English and speak English to their children creates less of a burden for those children when they come into an MCPS school.”

County Executive Leggett Includes Adult Education Among Top Legislative Priorities

Council President Knapp Recognizes Importance of Adult ESOL at December Minority Legislative Breakfast

MCAEL thanks Council President Knapp for recognizing the value of adult literacy programs as part of the larger agenda of educational priorities put forward at the recent Minority Legislative breakfast. Mentioning specifically the work conducted under the Capacity Building Grants project, Knapp acknowledged the important work of the College and local non-profits in providing education and workforce development to a critical segment of the population.

County Executive Responds Positively on English Literacy in Virtual Town Hall Meeting

We salute the County Executive for his response to a question posed recently at an online chat forum. Here’s the exchange:

Bruce from Bethesda-Chevy Chase
I am concerned about the challenges our community faces with so many residents who do not speak English. What are your plans for increasing the availability of classes for non-English speakers, so that they can get better jobs, participate more fully in civic life, advocate for their children’s education, etc.?

Isiah Leggett: Thanks for the question. I believe that learning to read and write English is the most effective step one can do to enhance their ability to succeed in our county. We currently support many private non profit agencies who provide English as a second language education. Through our newly estalished Office of Community Partnerships we hope to forge new partnerships that will result in increased ESL programs available in the County
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/News/Discussion/PIOTrans.asp?schdID=3