Some protestant churches in Texas are quietly embracing a new mission: providing ESL instruction to immigrants. Baptist churches in Plano, Waco and Austin say they're seeing rising enrollment.

While most Southeast Texas students were diving into the freedom of summer, leaving their books and backpacks behind, dozens of middle and high schoolers in Port Arthur were heading back to class.

Churches have long held classes to teach English to immigrants. This fall, the number of students has jumped. The reason is a change in federal policy that limits funding for some adult education ...