A report conducted by the OECD and commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education entitled Time for the U.S. to Reskill? has found that a staggering 36 million adults in the U.S. are “low-skilled.” That is, they lack the most basic skills in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving deemed minimally necessary for meaningful employment in a high-tech global economy.
Moreover, one-third of these low-skill workers are immigrants.
What the OECD does not discuss, however, is that many of these immigrants may have entered the U.S. illegally. Thus, they may not be eligible, or may not believe they are eligible, for government-sponsored educational benefits. Moreover, because of their status, illegal immigrants might be afraid to get training in crucial language skills. In addition, English may not be spoken in the home, at work, or in their community, further hindering English language development.
Historically, the low-skill status of immigrants has not been so troubling. In fact, it has been a hallmark of the American immigrant experience for centuries. Whether Irish, German, Polish, Italian, Mexican, Chinese or what have you, new immigrants (legal or not) have historically taken the low-rung, low-skill jobs that more skilled or longstanding Americans no longer felt compelled to take.
Moreover, the children of these immigrants have historically gained access to new skills through America’s free and extensive primary and secondary schools, near-free community colleges and low-cost state universities. Consequently, they accrued far greater skills than their parents did, enabling they and their offspring to move quickly up the American economic ladder.
Unfortunately, this comforting narrative has been interrupted.
15 comments:
Because of minimum wage subsistence jobs. and privatization of the public school system.Duh!
Forget about "literacy, numeracy and problem-solving" and let's discuss something BASIC: speaking.
I am honestly NOT "Asian bashing" here but: I have been going to Chinese take-out restaurants my whole life. The owners & workers in most of those establishments STILL, after all this time, CANNOT pronounce many words properly.
I know that English can be a hard language to master grammatically, spelling-wise etc. BUT words and sentences that you say over and over, year after year, should EVENTUALLY be pronounced correctly.
My grand-parents, who arrived from Italy in the early 1900s learned to read, write, could balance their checkbook, write letters etc. They were PROUD of their abilities to do so.
I think immigrants today just don't have the same PRIDE....
Everyone seems to know English when they want something!
"No speakie writey Engrish".
"Vibran, diverse, bustling". Dumb voters is exactly what the the Queens Dem Machine loves.
Why would they want to learn English? Almost all services are provided in multiple languages, and we even have in NYC "translators" to help them in the voting booths.
I cannot understand why people do not make an effort to learn English when they decide that they are going to live here permanently. I'm all for maintaining your cultural heritage (a large part of which is language), but if you decided to move to this country, why wouldn't you make every effort to learn the language in which gov't/politics/most business is conducted?- just for your own benefit and safety at least. I would be freaked out if I lived somewhere where the powers that be were speaking a language I did not understand. Of course, in NYC people can vote, and apply for benefits, call 311, etc. in their native language. And they rely on their local politicians and native-language TV reporters to keep them informed about what the English-speakers are doing. It just makes me sad that a lot of immigrant groups in Queens these days (NOT just those from Asian countries) prefer to self-segregate and stay in a "country-within-a-country(US)"- ie, all of their stores, banks, restaurants, etc operate in their native language, and as long as they stay in their little enclave, they can live the rest of their lives in the US never learning a word of English.
This is mostly because foe the last two decades there has been a huge push in whole language.
No phonics, grammar, or vocabulary taught in many public schools.
Writing is "edited" by the students themselves and teachers are not allowed to use a red pen to correct any mistakes.
keep letting in more immigrants from the 3rd world.
That will fix the problem.
These people have are given no incentives to learn. They know that when they move to big cities that everything down to a menu will be translated to them in their own language. If we told everyone tomorrow that we will no longer have no translators for anything, you better believe that they will all then try to understand. I, personally, believe that if your child can not speak english fluently before entering school then the child should not be able to attend school until that child has learned English without the help of the taxpayers' dollar. Take away ESL programs from the schools and make their OWN parents pay for their OWN kids to learn English. That would only be fair. Then again nothing in America is fair to the actual citizens.
Why learn When everything has to be in their language even voting ballots. In many areas there is a constitutional mandate to provide for them, its a discrimination case if you don't.
Democrats want it that way to finish the job and implement a one party socialist government!!!
Most people who held the last chance of election outlooks were to stupid to realize the current administration insertion was part of an audacious scheme for winning ALL future elections. Dems import millions and millions non-citizens and eventually credential them as voters who in gratitude constantly vote Democratic.
This new devious TRAP the republicans have fallen into formula is a stunningly MORE simple.
Just wait for the Republican Congress (under jackass's Boehner and McConnell) pass a full-funding bill for Homeland Security without any exception for the funding of Obama's illegal executive amnesty, which will allow Obama to give work permits, Social Security numbers and driver's licenses illegals (most who are alcoholics btw) . Once the millions of these illegal trespassing criminals are given those valuable documents, there will be no way to stop them from voting.
I believe it’s a DONE DEAL and will happen because these Social Security numbers to be issued will not for example contain a code such as "N" for non-citizen that would instantly reveal their ineligibility to vote. (that would be discrimination under the civil rights act) But that simple fix would happen only if the Obama administration wants to keep them from voting, which we all know AINT gonna happen !!
Ohh to add---just in case Illegal aliens need spending money, they can collect a special handout from the U.S. taxpayers called Earned Income Tax Credit, which was designed to help illegal immigrants who “claimed to have worked” As soon as they receive their Social Security numbers, these CRIMINALS will be allowed to claim EITC for up to three previous years they worked illegally. Employers who illegally hired these people get off scot-free !!. Don't expect any help from Holder's replacement successor, lesbian democrat Loretta Lynch who has already testified that she thinks Obama's executive actions are perfectly legal. Obama's amnestied illegals allowed to remain in our country can cash in on free health care plus schooling for their kids, including free lunch, breakfast and even dinner. I saw a public school superintendent complaining on television that he now has 40 languages spoken in his school nobody can communicate or teach anything.
Of course, these un-educatable illegals packed 200 per classroom will need all sorts of generous welfare benefits life. This includes food stamps, Obamaphones, free Internet, Medicaid, WIC, Social Security and HUGE penal system and police costs to keep order.
We are SCREWED SCREWED SCREWED !!
-Ned
www.nra.org
My solution is no interpreters are allowed at immigration hearings if you are serious about being an American then fill out the forms and talk to the clerks and judges in English otherwise you are going back to your own country.
A little Tough Love is needed here.
-----These people have are given no incentives to learn
"These people have are given no incentives to learn"
Most these people CANT learn, they are from the mountains and pueblos and want to live like that HERE. They have no interest in education, only free stuff and roofs for the hordes of fatherless children who will start repeating the process and joining gangs by puberty.
The educated family's with pride, work ethics & decency don't come here to stay. Only the useless varmints & locusts who consume till the end
Anonymous said...
"Only the useless varmints & locusts who consume till the end."
You do realize you just described the majority of the human race as a whole right???
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