Community Planning
picturebar

An overview of ABE needs and assets in Holyoke, Massachusetts

Overall need: 2000 Census data and extrapolations from the 1992 National Adult Learning Survey (NALS) lead to conservative estimates that a minimum of 10,000 of Holyoke's approximately 40,000 residents are adults who could benefit from some form of basic skills instruction.
This includes:
  • 8,568 adult (18+) high school non-completers (2000 Census)
  • 4,963 adults who speak English "less than very well" (2000 Census)
  • An estimated 2,000 to 4,000 adults who have high school credentials but lack basic skills (NALS/Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), 2001).
 
Specific subpopulation needs:
  • ABE/GED and ESOL overlap: Holyoke has a very substantial population, particularly within its Latino community (which currently comprises approximately 45% of city residents), of adults who need both English communication skills and basic literacy/numeracy skills required for a high school credential.

  • Integration of basic skills with employment training: Holyoke has a unique combination of high numbers of jobs and high unemployment rates (particularly within the Latino community). Employers point to a lack of basic skills and of readiness for employment as dual barriers to employability of Holyoke residents. This suggests the need for new programming that links ABE and employment readiness/training more tightly that happens at present in many multi-purpose ABE programs.

  • Older youth: The Holyoke Public Schools reports annual dropout rates of approximately 9% and the four-year high school dropout rate approaches 50%. As a result, demand for ABE/GED programming among older youth/young adults continues to grow.

  • Teen mothers: High numbers of teen mothers (e.g. 138 births to women under 20 in 2000) suggest that Holyoke will continue to have the need for educational programs that support these women in moving forward with their education, which implies both basic skills instruction and a full range of support services in order to be effective.

  • Family Literacy: Over 1,000 Holyoke families with children under five years old live in poverty. Many of the parents in these families need ABE/ESOL, their children need quality Early Childhood Education, and the family unit as a whole needs a range of educational and support services. Research continues to demonstrate that comprehensive family literacy programming is likely to be the most effective approach to supporting these families in achieving educational, economic, and social success.

to topTo Top
Existing programming: As of October 2003 there are just over 300 seats in ABE/ESOL programs offered free of charge in Holyoke, broken out as follows:
  • 25 Spanish Literacy through GED seats, 83 seats in ESOL classes, 86 seats in Literacy through GED classes (for English speakers), and 15 seats in community-based college transition programming open to the community at large.
  • 45 Seats for parents/guardians in family literacy programs.
  • Roughly 20 pre-GED/GED slots for older youth in the YouthBuild program.
  • Up to 75 seats in ABE/GED programs (w/ESL components as nec.) for pregnant/parenting teenagers. In addition, Holyoke Community College has one free-based GED class and a range of tuition-driven ESL programming serving residents of approximately 10 cities and towns.
to top To Top
System Development Needs and Initiatives:
  • More services: Holyoke's existing programming is able to serve only between 3 and 4 percent of the City's adult residents who could benefit from basic skills programming, which is an unacceptable reality. Our goal is to triple the system's overall capacity (to 1,000 seats in free of charge programs) by 2009.

  • Increase visibility for ABE and related services: Significant efforts are needed to "market" adult and family literacy services, particularly to the community at large (as opposed to only those in need of services) in order to build community-wide understanding and support for our system.

  • ABE and Workforce/Economic Development collaboration: We need to continue to strengthen mutual knowledge by practitioners in each system; continue to integrate career-related elements into ABE curricula across the city; assure that ABE-to-workforce development referrals function effectively; and find ways to partner with businesses and other employers for mutual benefit.

  • Family Literacy: Juntos has been at the center of development of a new city-wide family literacy initiative over the past two years. We need to continue promoting coordination and integration of services between ABE, children's education, and family support programs in order to serve families more effectively as holistic units.
to top To Top