Adult Education & Language Learning

The adult education system plays a critical role in building the human capital of immigrants who have limited host-country language proficiency, as well as for those who lack a high school diploma or equivalent. Adult education also has the potential to serve as an on-ramp to postsecondary education and jobs paying a family-sustaining wage. And language learning represents a key integration challenge, with such skills necessary for effective functioning in the community and the workforce. Against the backdrop of great need for adult education and language programs are issues of capacity and replication of successful models.

Recent Activity

Reports May 2026 Adult English Instruction at Risk: The Threat of Federal Funding Cuts and Potential State Responses By Jacob Hofstetter	Short Reads January 2026 Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration By Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Reports September 2025 All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families By Margie McHugh, Julia Gelatt, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, Katherine Habben, Jacob Hofstetter and Julie Sugarman	Policy Briefs March 2025 Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth Through the Workforce Development System By Jacob Hofstetter
Multimedia December 16, 2024 Emerging and Established Efforts by States to Expand Language Access	Policy Briefs October 2023 Leveraging Data to Ensure Equitable and Effective Adult Skills Programming for Immigrants By Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Articles March 21, 2023 Can Czechia Capitalize on High-Skilled Immigration amid Influx of Ukrainians? By Lucie Macková and Nikola Medová	Policy Briefs March 2023 Recommendations for the Task Force on New Americans By Margie McHugh, Jacob Hofstetter, Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix, Valerie Lacarte, Maki Park, Delia Pompa and Julie Sugarman

Reports May 2026 Adult English Instruction at Risk: The Threat of Federal Funding Cuts and Potential State Responses By Jacob Hofstetter	Reports September 2025 All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families By Margie McHugh, Julia Gelatt, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, Katherine Habben, Jacob Hofstetter and Julie Sugarman
Policy Briefs March 2025 Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth Through the Workforce Development System By Jacob Hofstetter	Policy Briefs October 2023 Leveraging Data to Ensure Equitable and Effective Adult Skills Programming for Immigrants By Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Policy Briefs March 2023 Recommendations for the Task Force on New Americans By Margie McHugh, Jacob Hofstetter, Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix, Valerie Lacarte, Maki Park, Delia Pompa and Julie Sugarman	Reports June 2022 The COVID-19 Catalyst: Learning from Pandemic-Driven Innovations in Immigrant Integration Policy By Jasmijn Slootjes
Reports February 2022 The IELCE Program: Understanding Its Design and Challenges in Meeting Immigrant Learners’ Needs By Jacob Hofstetter and Alexis Cherewka	Fact Sheets April 2021 Immigrant and U.S.-Born Parents of Young and Elementary-School-Age Children: Key Sociodemographic Characteristics By Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh

Feature

March 21, 2023

Can Czechia Capitalize on High-Skilled Immigration amid Influx of Ukrainians?

High-skilled immigration represents a potential major benefit to Czechia, which has undergone rapid economic growth since the transition from communism. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of new Ukrainians, many of whom are well educated, marks a moment for the country to re-evaluate its integration policies, as this article details.

Feature

September 3, 2020

The Digital Divide Hits U.S. Immigrant Households Disproportionately during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the effects of the so-called digital divide for U.S. immigrants and other groups with reduced online connectivity. Internet access and the skills to navigate digital environments have become even more critical for work, education, and health care during the public-health crisis, yet immigrants make up a disproportionately large share of U.S. residents unable to take advantage of these tools.

Students and Reading _JMH5036 (1) US Dept of Ed Flickr

Spotlight

November 11, 2016

Language Diversity and English Proficiency in the United States

Although the number of U.S. residents who speak a language other than English has grown in recent decades, the share of those who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) has fallen: 40 percent in 2015, compared to 44 percent in 1980—even as immigration rose rapidly. This article examines growing linguistic diversity in the country and sketches a profile of the LEP population, including size, location, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Spotlight

April 14, 2016

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Get all the latest and historical facts and figures on immigrants and immigration in the United States in this handy resource. With immigration often surfacing in public and political debates, learn the answers to such questions as: How do current immigration flows compare to earlier ones? How many unauthorized immigrants live in the United States? How many refugees are admitted annually? And get answers to many more questions.

YoungImmigrantLineUp1 WBEZPeterHolderness Flickr

Feature

August 13, 2015

Origin and Community: Asian and Latin American Unauthorized Youth and U.S. Deportation Relief

This article explores differences in application and renewal rates for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program among unauthorized immigrants from Latin America and Asia. Based on interviews with immigrant advocates and service providers, it appears participation in the deportation relief program may be different among origin groups based on varying perceptions of lack of trust in government and shame over legal status, as well as political barriers.

Woman raises hand to ask question in classroom

Short Reads

January 2026

Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration

By Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh

Briya Public Charter School, Washington, DC, Lauren Stoltzfus

Short Reads

December 2016

New Data Resources Can Help Improve Targeting of State Early Childhood and Parent-Focused Programs

By Margie McHugh

Short Reads

March 2016

Federal WIOA Plan Requirements Ignore Opportunities to Support Equitable Access for Immigrant/LEP Adults

By Margie McHugh

A group of older Korean adults sitting in chairs at a Med-Cal event at the Korean Resource Center

Short Reads

October 2015

It is Time for Federal Agencies to Do More to Improve the Provision of Language Access Services

By Margie McHugh

Short Reads

October 2015

Mapping the Patchwork of State ‘DREAM Acts’ and Postsecondary Education Policies for Unauthorized Immigrant Youth

By Margie McHugh

Short Reads

September 2015

Danger Ahead for Aspiring Citizens as New Federal Workforce Law Is Implemented

By Margie McHugh

Short Reads

September 2014

County-Level View of DACA Population Finds Surprising Amount of Ethnic & Enrollment Diversity

By Sarah Hooker and Michael Fix

Short Reads

July 2014

California Takes the Lead in Targeting Education Dollars on English Language Learners, But There Is More to Be Done

By Louis Freedberg

Video, Audio

December 16, 2024

Emerging and Established Efforts by States to Expand Language Access

Government officials from Colorado, Michigan, and New York discuss how their states’ language access efforts have evolved, how they are structured, and what innovative approaches they have undertaken to reduce linguistic barriers for the more than 25 million U.S. residents who have limited proficiency in English.

Video, Audio

April 21, 2021

Disparities Facing U.S. Children in Immigrant Families: New Data and Ideas for Indicators to Promote Equity

MPI analysts discuss their analysis comparing key sociodemographic characteristics of immigrant and U.S.-born parents of young and school-age children, along with the two-generational implications of these findings.

Video, Audio

March 8, 2019

Upskilling the U.S. Labor Force: Mapping the Credentials of Immigrant-Origin Workers

This webinar discusses the first-ever profile of the 30 million immigrant-origin adults in the United States who lack a postsecondary credential and offers analysis of the significant payoff credentials could bring in terms of workforce participation and wages.

flickr 25944533204_cb4e9bcf7c_z (1) United Way of the Lower Mainland

Video, Audio

December 13, 2018

Exploring the Potential of Two-Generation Strategies in Refugee Integration

On this webinar, MPI researchers and Utah and Colorado refugee coordinators explore promising practices to better serve refugee families, including education services for refugee youth, innovative efforts to secure better jobs for adult refugees, and other services designed to aid integration over time.

FLICKR the unquiet librarian Musical Book Tasting with Padlet Dr. Melinda Byrne and ESOL Students

Video, Audio

October 30, 2018

Surviving vs. Thriving: The Need for a Paradigm Shift in Adult Education for Immigrants and Refugees

Taking stock of weaknesses in the WIOA-driven design of most adult basic education programming, MPI analysts draw on research from the integration, adult education, and postsecondary success fields in arguing for the adoption of an “English Plus Integration” (EPI) adult education program model, and discuss strategies for implementation.

Recent Activity

Reports

May 2026

Adult English Instruction at Risk: The Threat of Federal Funding Cuts and Potential State Responses

Adult education programs play an important part in helping immigrant adults learn English and, in doing so, integrate into U.S. communities and the workforce. In many states, much of the funding for these programs comes from the federal government. This report examines states’ varied vulnerability to potential funding cuts, as well as opportunities to build stronger, more sustainable programs.

Short Reads

January 2026

Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration

A move by the Trump administration to limit immigrants' use of federal programs stands to significantly destabilize the U.S. adult education system, which has helped millions of immigrant adults learn English and build foundational skills. In the process, this will harm the White House's stated desire to help immigrants learn English, build skills, and integrate into U.S. society, as this short read outlines.

Reports

September 2025

All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families

Immigrants comprise 15 percent of Connecticut’s population, and nearly 30 percent of children in the state are part of immigrant families. Having driven all state population and workforce growth over the last 15 years, immigrants are an important part of Connecticut’s present and its future. This report examines state policies and systems that aim to support upward mobility for all families, highlighting ways in which they could better meet the needs of low-income immigrant families.

Policy Briefs

March 2025

Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth Through the Workforce Development System

Young people’s transition to adulthood has important implications for their long-term career prospects and for the U.S. economy. This policy brief examines how workforce development programs, and particularly the WIOA Youth program, support immigrant youth alongside their U.S.-born peers, noting promising practices as well as persistent challenges in an era when immigrant-origin individuals are driving labor force growth.

Video, Audio, Webinars

December 16, 2024

Emerging and Established Efforts by States to Expand Language Access

Policy Briefs

October 2023

Leveraging Data to Ensure Equitable and Effective Adult Skills Programming for Immigrants

Immigrants make significant contributions to the U.S. economy and social fabric, but many also face barriers to integration. Adult education and workforce development programs offer services intended to help address such challenges yet can be mismatched to immigrants' needs. This issue brief sketches a profile of U.S.-born and immigrant adults, highlighting key similarities and differences relevant to the design of adult skills programs.

Articles

March 21, 2023

Can Czechia Capitalize on High-Skilled Immigration amid Influx of Ukrainians?

Policy Briefs

March 2023

Recommendations for the Task Force on New Americans

The Task Force on New Americans launched by the Biden administration represents an important occasion to deepen understanding of immigrant integration issues and to identify ways to address them. MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, which has long argued for the need to create such an office within the White House, has developed recommendations for the task force in key areas, drawing from its extensive record of research, policy analysis, and technical assistance.

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