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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Hechinger Report | For many adults, basic-skills classes are the best hope for a brighter future

Hechinger Report | For many adults, basic-skills classes are the best hope for a brighter future

For many adults, basic-skills classes are the best hope for a brighter future

Ana, a 52 year old cafeteria cashier, completes an ESOL workbook exercise on the board at Harvard University’s Bridge Program. (Photo by Sarah Butrymowicz)

BOSTON— Across the U.S., thousands of workers stuck in low-paying jobs are trying to get a leg up through free basic-skills classes that train them in everything from elementary math to basic literacy.

Mya Maw, a 52-year-old Burmese immigrant, longs for a stable office job in Boston, where she’s raising twin teenage daughters and washing dishes at a hotel. To help reach her goal, she spends most mornings sitting through two hours of English or computer instruction, taking advantage of free basic-skills classes that are a small but significant part of a fractured U.S. adult-education system.

“I want to improve step by step,” said Maw, who dropped out of ESL courses that were too expensive for her in