Since many non-English speakers are comming to America, what do you think the future of an ESL program will be? Will an ESL program change in years?

ESL programs and instructions will be in great demand in the coming years, especially as it appears that some kind of immigration reform bill will likely occur before the end of president Bush's term in office. With that will come funding for ESL and citizenship classes. The last time an amnesty program was implemented, millions upon millions of dollars were pumped into ESL programs to accommodate the requirement that amnesty recipients learn English.

Its likely that such a meaure will occur again. However, with the increased demand will come increased accountability. The GOVT. does not want a whole bunch of fly-by-night operations popping up just to cash in and not provide quality instruction. Be on the look-out for grants to be competitive, to come with stringent guidelines, and for real preference to be given to established educational institutions like non-profits, school districts, community colleges, etc.

Its possible if your org. does not fall into one of these categories that you will be able to get a sub-contract so make sure you are "networked" with the local ESL teaching community. If you are an experienced ESL teacher, and you are good at what you do and are well-networked your future over the next few years will be BRIGHT.