Celebrating Adult Multilingual Learners of English (MLEs)
Adult Literacy and Family Education Week is a national collaboration between families, educators, legislators, and community partners to promote adult literacy.
Supporting Adult English Learners and their Educators
AEFL Week 2026
By the Numbers
Almost 25 million adults in the USA speak English less than "very well" and could benefit from adult education. (Source: MPI)
700,000+ adult English learners are supported by the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (Title II of WIOA), representing 60% of total participants.
Yet, only 12% of adult education teachers have TESOL certification.
Source: NRS Aggregate Data, Tables 3 and 7
Individual state data on federally funded adult education programs can be accessed from the National Association of State Directors of Adult Education.
NPR's Code Switch Podcast: Interview with Jake Hofstetter
In this episode from NPR's Code Switch podcast, hear an interview with the Migration Policy Institute's Jake Hofstetter.
From NPR:
"Last year President Trump made English the official language of the United States. Then his administration moved to zero out the federal money that teaches it. But even fully funded, those programs reached fewer than five-percent of the 25 million adults in this country still learning English. Code Switch producer Xavier Lopez watched his own parents struggle to learn the language when he immigrated here as a kid. Now, Xavier reports on how adult English language classes are about much more than learning the English."
Impact of Adult Education
Carly Bruntmyer, ESL Instructor, Casper College
What we do in adult education makes a difference.
We have a former student from Cuba who has gone through both ESL and ABE to get her equivalency in English. She finished pre-med work and has recieved her bachelor's--now on to medical school! This is all since 2018, and she has worked HARD to get where she is today. She'll make a great doctor.
We have a student who came to us from Kenya without any English or tech skills. She can now communicate beautifully in English and can use a computer and smart phone. She always tells people about our center and the impact it's had on her life, and we appreciate her commitment and trust in us to help her.
It makes our hearts so full to see how offering this education for free is a doorway to bigger and better things.
Many will never need our services, but those who do are just as important, and we have to be there to meet them where they are in life.
Explore TESOL Press Resources
Check out the TESOL Press Bookstore section on Adult Learners for titles about teaching adult MLEs!
Download Government & Community Resources
Use these resources and toolkits to learn more about adult multilingual learners and their unique needs.
- TESOL's Community and Family Toolkit - TESOL International Association
- TESOL English Learners and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA): What Educators Need to Know - TESOL International Association
- TESOL's Adult Education Interest Section - TESOL International Association
- Adult Literacy & Learning Impact Network (ALL-IN), implementing the National Action Plan for Literacy. TESOL is a coordinating council member.
- Adult Education & Family Literacy Act - U.S. Department of Education
TESOL Talks: A Talk With Christine Piven and Federico Salas-Isnardi About Their Work for Adult MLEs
Join last year's conversation as TESOL Director Advocacy and Public Policy Jeff Hutcheson speaks with Christine Piven, executive director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Children and Families, and Federico Salas-Isnardi, director of the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy in Houston, about their efforts in Houston and Philadelphia to serve the adult population for literacy and English language.
17 September 2023