How can we help immigrants learn English?

This article from the Rocky Mountain News demonstrates something many in the foreign language/ESL fields already know; teaching immigrants English is an uphill battle, and not always for the reasons one might expect. 1) There aren't enough English classes that are accessible to students (both financially, location-wise, and child-care wise). 2) Some (and please, I know immigrants are as varied as U.S. citizens) immigrants come with little education in their home language; teaching someone to read in English is infinitely harder if they can't read in their native language. Many of the immigrants who are educated speak at least some English, and therefore learning it is much easier. Imagine learning a different language if you can't even read in your native tongue.

It seems many of these articles say the same thing - immigrants want to learn English, but there aren't enough programs, they aren't easy enough to get to, given the constraints of being a member of the working poor, and it's not easy to learn English.

"Pressure to speak 'American' grows." (Quintero, F. Rocky Mountain News. Oct. 2, 2006)