ABSTRACT
Most of the current research literature on biliteracy has focused on curricular and instructional issues that arise in working with Latino youth. Dual-language bilingual education programs, English as a Second Language (ESL) curricula, and culturally responsive pedagogy are some of the issues that have been discussed at length in the literature. The education of immigrant adults has received relatively little attention, and there has been virtually no attention paid to the educational and linguistic issues facing immigrants in the U.S. labor market. This chapter presents a discussion of the educational and linguistic challenges facing immigrant workers in this country. The focus is on the foreign born, and thereby on Latinos, because they are currently the largest segment of foreign born, or immigrant, workers in the United States. The author first presents a picture of the educational, economical, and linguistic issues facing these workers. The discussion continues by problematizing traditional workforce education programs and by describing a bilingual approach to workforce education for Latinos. The piece concludes with some re ections on workforce education with immigrant workers.
