This article discusses the state of the art in the field of “adult ESL” in the US. It identifies the size, characteristics, and settings of adult education and discusses relevant professional standards, assessment procedures, and teacher preparation. Three approaches to noncredit adult ESL education will be presented (Functional Literacy, Critical Literacy, and New Literacy Studies), each of which has relevance to current status and funding of adult ESL within the Department of Education. A broader view of curriculum design and expansion of technological applications are recommended to address the growing needs of immigrants from Latin America and around the world.

All over the United States, adult ESL programs enroll students who are undocumented immigrants, often unbeknownst to the instructors who teach them. During the COVID-19 crisis, adult ESL enrollments decreased overall, but most especially for the undocumented immigrants who were most disadvantaged during the crisis. In order for program administrators and instructors to better understand the situation, this article explores who those with undocumented status are, why they have come to the US, and how well they are being served by public and private institutions and organizations. It details the nationality and settlement patterns of the undocumented immigrants as well as reasons for their departure from their homes around the world and their journeys to the United States. This article also discusses solutions for issues undocumented students face, including pedagogical approaches addressing the needs of undocumented learners given their migration experiences, funding to expand classrooms and hire teachers qualified to meet the needs of these students, and better collaboration between public schools and nonprofit organizations.

This study describes the results of a survey administered to present and former students enrolled in a Master’s in TESOL Program at a large urban university in Southern California. Respondents who had had a service-learning or experiential learning assignment were asked to identify to what extent and in which areas their service-learning or experiential learning experience benefited them. Responses by students and alumni who had had a service-learning experience and those who had not had a service-learning experience were also compared for significance. In addition, responses of service-learners by gender, language background, and visa status were compared to identify important trends in perceived benefits of ser vicelearning. Overall, students were quite positive about their service-learning experiences with most benefit indicated in general teaching theory and second language acquisition and least benefit in citizenship and civics. Results of a MANOVA indicated significant differences in benefits for service-learners versus non–servicelearners.