Hi Margot,
Thanks for responding to our request for questions. 
 
This is what I remember about the 1980s and may not answer your question but hopefully will encourage others to respond---if only to correct my message
.
I was working in Florida in the eighties and during the early years there was very little emphasis on ESOL programs.  The emphasis was on GED. Then in (I believe) 1986 the Immigration Reform and Control Act  was passed and many immigrants, both legal and illegal, registered for ESOL classes.  Our program more than doubled in a very short time.  We had to establish many new classes and experienced teachers were difficult to find. There seemed to be much federal money available at that time.

I wonder if anyone remembers what was happening ,if anything, with Workplace ESL at that time?
Pat Sawyer

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Margot Walsh 
To: Pat Sawyer ; The Workplace Literacy Discussion List 
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 4:47 AM
Subject: RE: [Workplace 1547] Questions please.


Dear Pat, Barbara and others
Thanks for this so very interesting discussion, and for inviting more questions!
 
I am doing a study on the impact of recession on workplace/general literacy policy particular around government reaction re funding, funding criteria, programme curriculum etc. and learner reaction.  I hope to compare the US or Canada with Finland.
I wonder if any of you who were involved in this area in the late 80s have any reflections on it,  did anything change as a result of the recession, was funding cut, did provision change, did numbers of learners attending increase, did the focus change from basic skills to vocational skills etc?
 
Or perhaps there has been some work done on this already for the US or Canada that you can point me to?
 
Many thanks
Margot Walsh
Workplace Basic Education Coordinator
Co Clare VEC
Ireland
 

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From: psawyer49 at sbcglobal.net
To: workplace at nifl.gov
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:26:21 -0500
Subject: [Workplace 1547] Questions please.




Dear Members of the Workplace Literacy Discussion List,

Tomorrow is the last day that Barbara Tondre and I will be working with all of you on this discussion list. When I think about the fact that there are over 600 members in this  group, I realize that there must still be many questions that have not been asked.  
I hope that by the end of what has been an exciting week for me, you will all feel comfortable enough to ask questions, respond to other messages, and share with us any information you have about workplace literacy.

Pat Sawyer


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