The Business of English

Amnesty may foster a much greater demand for English-language instruction later this year. The first phase of the government’s amnesty program, lasting from May 5, 1987, until next May 4, has required illegal immigrants to prove that they have been living in the United States since Dec. 31, 1981, in order to apply for up to 30 months of legal temporary residence. Although much less publicized, Phase Two provides that immigrants obtain permanent residency during the past 12 months of temporary residency or revert to illegal status one month thereafter. Unlike other foreigners applying for permanent residency, immigrants going through the amnesty program are required by legislation to be tested for their “ability to read, write and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language . . . (and) knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, and of the principles and form of government, of the United States.”

Enrollment in an approved course designed to accomplish these goals will satisfy the language and civics competency requirement. But the Immigration and Naturalization Service has yet to draft regulations governing how schools may gain approval for their courses. The English competency requirement has been little publicized, and some experts predict a panic when the INS begins demanding permanent residency applications from legalized immigrants on Nov. 7.

“It’s obvious to everyone involved in the legalization program right now that no one is prepared for Phase Two, especially not the community colleges or public schools,” said Linda J. Wong, an associate counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles. “I know that the private language institutes, both those that are legitimate and those that are just going in now, are taking a close look.”

Tax-exempt English language schools offering free or discount courses for low-income adults complain that foundations are reluctant to donate money for such unglamorous work. “So far we’re having a tough time of it. It seems the interest is more in the area of drugs, AIDS,” said Pat de la Pena, vice president of the nonprofit Cambria English Institute, at Ninth Street and Union Avenue.

Yet the low incomes of many legalized immigrants could prevent a boomlet for the English instruction industry. The effect on enrollment thus far has been “very little. I mean, almost insignificant,” said Rene A. Alberola, regional manager in California for Berlitz Language Centers.

Sales for books, cassettes and videotapes offering instruction in English to Spanish speakers are slowly growing. The newest additions to the market are videotapes, which were unavailable until mid-1986, said Carlos Valencia, account executive for the Spanish-language division of Houston-based East Texas Distributing, the largest distributor of Latino videotapes to retailers. Now eight to 10 companies sell such videos, he said.

Shoddy, homemade products are common and sell for $35 to $40, while professional-quality videos cost as much as $99, Valencia said. Usually included in the price are an instructional booklet and an audiocassette. Sales have not exploded as some in the industry had expected but are up about 20% from a year ago, when the videos were being introduced, Valencia said.

The government’s 9-month-old amnesty program for illegal immigrants has done little for sales of English instructional materials, said Juan Ceballos, general manager for the three Orange County stores of Santa Ana-based Libreria y Discoteca Mexico, a six-store chain selling records, tapes and consumer electronics. Prices start at $14.99 for an instructional booklet with three audiocassettes and range up to $99 for a “Follow Me” video, booklet and audiocassette developed by the British Broadcasting Corp.

Revenues from the instructional materials are up just 5% since last May, Ceballos said. “It’s too slow; it’s not doing like it’s supposed to.”

Choosing a private English language school requires careful research. Teachers’ credentials, class size and test scores of recent students all should be examined, said Stanley F. Pickett, president and owner of Rockville, Md.-based American Language Academy. “If the average class size is much over 15, that’s a questionable matter. . . . It’s hard for students to get the individual attention they need to make steady progress.”

Accreditation by the Richmond-based, nonprofit Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training is a good sign, although many well-run schools have not bothered to obtain such sanction and should not be shunned as a result, said Pickett, ACCET chairman.

ACCET has accredited 32 schools in English as a second language, President Larry K. Dodds said. Initial accreditation costs $7,500, entails a variety of inspections and lasts three years. Renewals cost $4,500 and are good for up to five years, he said.

Accreditation and documentation of past results are becoming more important among for-profit schools, despite resistance from many educators toward attempts to evaluate results, Pickett said. “Students have a right, a consumer right, to know what to expect for their money.”