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Mission & History

Mission

MCAEL is dedicated to strengthening the county-wide adult English literacy network with resources, training, collaborations and advocacy to support a thriving community and an optimal workforce.

Vision

All adult residents are employable, engaged, and empowered by literacy to achieve their full potential. All local businesses have access to an English literate workforce.

History

Montgomery County has changed dramatically over the last 20 years to become a thriving metropolis that benefits from a rich diversity of cultural and linguistic communities. Alongside this transformation are new challenges for our County. As of 2008, one in seven county residents out of the County's total population of close to one million are limited in their ability to communicate in English - more than double the number just two decades ago.

In 2002, county elected officials and community leaders convened a task-force to develop strategies to support the growing limited English proficient (LEP) population and to respond to the demand for an English-literate workforce. A study commission by the Montgomery County Council and carried out by Montgomery College and the international research organization, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), identified that while a rich tapestry of government, community, and faith-based providers offered adult ESOL programs, there was a significant lack of countywide coordination, collaboration and capacity. Programs worked mostly in isolation, with scarce technical, human, and financial resources. Demand for English classes was far from being met, as evidenced by waitlists of well over 2,000 individuals.

In 2003, following up on the study, Council member Tom Perez worked with providers and community stakeholders to develop a strategic action plan to improve the delivery system. Based on the task force's recommendations, a community coalition was formed in 2005, and later incorporated as MCAEL in 2006. Click here to View a detailed timeline of MCAEL's history.

Organizational Documents:

 

MCAEL Training
"MCAEL Training"
main Body Devider