We present a case-study of adult females becoming "literate." Low income female learners in Adult Basic Education (ABE) and recent immigrant learners in English as a Second Language (ESL), and their teachers in Central New York State were involved in a Participatory Action Research (PAR). The...

I examine the effect of English language profi ciency on the occupational choices of childhood immigrants into the United States. Following Bleakley and Chin (2004; 2010), I use an instrumental variables approach that exploits young children's superior language acquisition abilities to estimate the...

In this paper we deliver first causal evidence on the relationship between immigrant host country language proficiency and homeownership. Using an instrumental variable strategy, we find a substantial positive impact of language skills on the propensity to own a home and the quality of housing....

For 2400 years society has been confident that physicians will use their professional judgment in treating their patients. Recently the federal government has intruded into the patient-physician relationship by adopting a requirement that physicians provide free oral and written translation...

This paper analyzes the determinants of English language fluency among adult foreign-born men and women in the United States. It shows that fluency rates are higher among those for whom the benefits of English language fluency are greater and the costs are lower. The data are from the PUMS file...