Migration Policy Institute Podcasts

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Archive for the 'Language Access' Category

Up for Grabs: The Gains and Prospects of First- and Second-Generation Young Adults

Posted by migrationpolicy on 15th November 2011

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During this 30-minute presentation, Migration Policy Institute Senior Vice President Michael Fix and Policy Analyst Jeanne Batalova discuss their report, Up for Grabs: The Gains and Prospects of First- and Second-Generation Young Adults, which profiles the population of first- and second-generation young adults in the United States between the ages of 16 and 26. These young adults from immigrant families, numbering 11.3 million, represent one in four people in the United States between the ages of 16-26 and account for half of the growth of the young adult population between 1995 and 2010. This report, done through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, finds substantial generational progress in terms of high school graduation, college enrollment, and ability to earn family-sustaining wages. Second-generation Hispanic women are faring particularly well, with college enrollment rates equal to those of third-generation non-Hispanic white women. However, they are not graduating from college at the same rate or on the same timeline because of family, work, or economic reasons. The report sketches how postsecondary education, workforce development, and language training programs could better meet the needs of this population, which will assume a greater role as the US workforce ages.

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Posted in US Immigration Policy, Immigrant Integration, Labor Migration, Language Access | No Comments »

Language Access and Schools: Federal Requirements and School Experiences

Posted by migrationpolicy on 6th October 2011

MPIBRYCSWebinarThis webinar from the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy (NCIIP) and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services (BRYCS) program explores federal requirements for providing interpretation and translation in schools and how select school districts in Minnesota and Colorado have managed these requirements. Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, schools are required to provide information to parents in a “language they can understand.” In addition to this requirement, Executive Order 13166 makes clear the responsibility of all federally funded programs to uphold Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by ensuring meaningful access to programs and services for individuals regardless of their English proficiency. School districts across the country have implemented these federal requirements in a variety of ways.

This is the latest in NCIIP’s language access webinar series exploring the policy and program implementation imperatives for government and community agencies serving Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations. To access audio of previous webinars, click here. To access a toolkit for teachers and school personnel on translation and interpretation requirements developed by BRYCS, please click here.

Speakers are:

  • Lyn Morland, Director, Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services, US Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • Laura Gardner, Education Technical Assistance Specialist, Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services, US Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • Salvador Carrera, Director, Multicultural Outreach Office, Denver Public Schools
  • Alejandra Bosch, Translation Services Coordinator, Office of Communications, Marketing and Development, Saint Paul Public Schools

The call is moderated by Chhandasi Pandya, Policy Analyst/Program Coordinator, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute.

View the PowerPoint presentation here.

Also of interest: LEP Workers & Access to Workforce Services: Barriers & Prospects under WIA Reauthorization, Taking Limited English Proficient Adults into Account in the Federal Adult Education Funding Formula, and Immigrants and Welfare: The Impact of Welfare Reform on America’s Newcomers

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Posted in Immigrant Integration, Language Access | No Comments »

LEP Workers & Access to Workforce Services: Barriers & Prospects under WIA Reauthorization

Posted by migrationpolicy on 21st September 2011

Current negotiations over reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) come at a critical moment for immigrant and Limited English Proficient (LEP) workers. They and their current and future employers have a large stake in these negotiations, given the wide range of labor supply and skill mismatches that employers rely on immigrants to meet across the United States. Further, the predominance of immigrants and their children among new, young, and future US workers and the weak response thus far of the WIA-funded training system to the needs of these increasingly diverse and multilingual workers necessitates a concerted re-examination of the WIA system. The extent to which changes to the WIA system take account of these important demographic and economic trends and address the needs of immigrant-origin and LEP workers in particular will strongly affect the law's ability to support our country's future economic success.

There is broad consensus that LEP workers of varying educational backgrounds and levels of English proficiency and vocational skills are underserved by WIA's training services as a result of the law's structure. While community-based organizations have filled some gaps in services for LEP individuals and immigrant workers, the current reauthorization debate presents an opportunity for analysts, workforce services professionals, and community stakeholders to consider how to redesign the WIA system and its investments in these important segments of the US workforce. On this webinar, experts discuss barriers immigrant and LEP individuals face in accessing the WIA system, how a revitalized WIA could address these barriers, and the extent to which the current Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee's WIA reauthorization proposal addresses these barriers.

View the PowerPoint presentation here.

This webinar is part of Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy (NCIIP) Language Access Webinar Series.

Speakers are:

  • Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, Director of Outreach and Program Evaluation, Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
  • Emma Oppenheim, Manager, Workforce Development Policy Initiatives, National Council of La Raza
  • Gabriela Lemus, Senior Advisor and Director, Office of Public Engagement, US Department of Labor

Also of interest: Taking Limited English Proficient Adults into Account in the Federal Adult Education Funding Formula, and Immigrants and Welfare: The Impact of Welfare Reform on America’s Newcomers

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Posted in Immigrant Integration, Language Access | No Comments »

Proactive Engagement: Two Strategies for Providing Language Access in Workforce Development Services

Posted by migrationpolicy on 3rd August 2011

Inadequate interpretation services, a lack of relevant translated materials and customer service that is not culturally competent often deter limited English proficient (LEP) individuals from accessing workforce services through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)-funded One Stop system. This interactive language access webinar, one in a series offered by the Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, examines how New York and Illinois have broken down some of these barriers to proactively engage LEP communities to obtain workforce services. The need to ensure meaningful access to WIA-funded employment and training services for the large share of US low- and middle-skilled LEP workers is urgent, particularly in light of the tough job market and gloomy projections for the speed of recovery from the Great Recession. These featured approaches, which have entailed policy and programmatic fixes, can serve as models as states attempt to meet the workforce needs of their LEP populations and comply with federal requirements to provide meaningful language access in their federally funded programs.

Speakers are:

  • Julio Rodriguez, Director of Program Services, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
  • Haeya Yim, Counsel, Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs, New York Department of Labor
  • Kerry Douglas-Duffy, Workforce Development Program Specialist, Division of Employment and Workforce Solutions, New York Department of Labor
  • Chhandasi Pandya, Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute

Download the PowerPoint here.

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Posted in US Immigration Policy, Immigrant Integration, Language Access | No Comments »

The Federal Role in Immigrant Integration: Too Little, Too Much or Just Right? Panel I

Posted by migrationpolicy on 18th May 2010

Panel1.jpgDuring this panel discussion held in conjunction with the 2010 E Pluribus Unum Prizes, which the Migration Policy Institute bestows annually to four exceptional immigrant integration initiatives, several of the prize winners and other experts examine the adult literacy/ESL instruction, workforce preparation, and community financial services fields. Among the questions discussed: Whether federal policy and funding appropriately support immigrant integration goals in these fields. The discussion was moderated by Margie McHugh, Co-Director of MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy.

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Posted in US Immigration Policy, Immigrant Integration, Language Access | No Comments »

What Happens When Someone Alleges Discrimination Based on Limited English Proficiency?

Posted by migrationpolicy on 11th December 2009

In 1999, several Los Angeles-area nonprofit organizations helped three Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals file a complaint against the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. The complaint was filed with the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and alleged that LEP clients were not provided meaningful access to several public assistance programs. In 2003, the two agencies reached a resolution agreement. This webinar reviews the complaint-and-resolution process through the eyes of individual stakeholders including the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. The webinar focuses on filing a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, agency response to the complaint, and the process of negotiating an agreement.

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Posted in Immigrant Integration, Language Access | No Comments »

Interpreting the Juvenile Justice System for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Parents

Posted by migrationpolicy on 19th November 2009

Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) is an umbrella term for the disproportionate representation of individuals of color in the criminal and juvenile justice system. Past research has found that language barriers faced by parents may potentially lead to deeper court involvement for youth in the justice system. In New York City, a collaboration between government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders has sought to address this systemwide issue. This webinar focuses on how a multi-agency collaborative effort aims to provide LEP parents with the information necessary to understand their role in the juvenile justice system. Speakers include representatives from the workgroup from the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office, the Legal Aid Society, New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development, and the Vera Institute of Justice.

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Posted in US Immigration Policy, Immigrant Integration, Language Access | No Comments »

Emergency Management for English-Limited Communities

Posted by migrationpolicy on 4th November 2009

Swift and accurate communication with the general public is critical during major disasters and public-health emergencies. As government responds to the H1N1 influenza outbreak and prepares for the fall/winter flu season, agencies in charge of emergency management must develop and implement plans for communicating with and serving Limited English Proficient (LEP) residents before, during, and after an emergency. This webinar features speakers from state, county, and city governments discussing their work in preparing their respective communities for public health emergencies.

With Laureen Laglagaron, Policy Analyst, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, MPI; Marsha Tamura, State of Hawaii Civil Defense Agency; Barbara Yamashita, Hawaii State Department of Health; Herman Schaffer, Director of Community Outreach, New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM); Uma Ahluwalia, Director of Montgomery County (Maryland); and Betty Lam, Chief of the Office of Community Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services.

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Posted in Immigrant Integration, Language Access | No Comments »

Is This Working? Assessment and Evaluation Methods Used to Build and Assess Language Access Services

Posted by migrationpolicy on 24th July 2009

Many agencies have developed unique and innovative monitoring tools and assessment practices that can be used to improve existing services and guide agencies that provide services to Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals. This webinar discusses some of these tools and practices and launches a report, Is This Working? Assessment and Evaluation Methods Used to Build and Assess Language Access Services in Social Services Agencies.

With Laureen Laglagaron, Policy Analyst, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, MPI; Jeanette Moy, Senior Policy Advisor, New York City Mayor's Office of Operations Customer Service Group (CSG); and Kate Pielemeier, Policy Analyst, New York City Mayor's Office of Operations CSG

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Posted in Immigrant Integration, Language Access | No Comments »

Getting It Right the First Time: Setting Up a System that will Stand the Test of Time

Posted by migrationpolicy on 29th May 2009

This webinar provides listeners with an overview of two successful Limited English Proficiency (LEP) programs in New York City, NY and Hennepin County, MN. Speakers discuss their work with LEP persons, review tips for long-term program sustainability, and identify key components of the programs' successes, both large and small scale, in creating and maintaining a LEP program.

With Laureen Laglagaron, MPI; Kleber Palma, Director, Translation and Interpretation Unit, New York City Department of Education; and Vinodh Kutty, Project Coordinator and Limited English Proficiency Manager, Hennepin County Office of Multi-Cultural Services

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Developing Partnerships to Provide Interpreter Training and Language Referrals

Posted by migrationpolicy on 17th December 2008

With Laureen Laglagaron, MPI; Robin Bronen, Executive Director, Alaska Immigration Justice Project; Brenda Aiken, Resource Development Officer, Alaska Court System; Sunil Mansukhani, Executive Director, District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission; and Jean Bruggeman, Director, Community Legal Interpreter Bank, Ayuda

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Inaugural Nationwide Language Access Webinar

Posted by migrationpolicy on 16th October 2008

With Laureen Laglagaron, MPI; Jason Reed, Program Manager, Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS); Chung-Wha Hong, Executive Director, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC); and Mark Lewis, Director of Immigrant Services, Administration for Children's Services, City of New York.

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Posted in Immigrant Integration, Language Access | 5 Comments »