"Learning English is essential to locating a job and supporting a family. Waiting is not an option."
Sister Margaret Lanen
Distance Learning Program Founder, Notre Dame Education Center Boston, Mass.
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Sisters work in Tandem with State House Educating Non-English Speakers is Top Priority
| Sister Margaret Lanen works with two students at Notre Dame Education Center. |
In Boston, Mass., 4,000 students are waiting for an available slot in a limited number of English language programs. The Sisters' Notre Dame Education Center (NDEC) has a pivotal role in helping them attain it.
The Massachusetts Department of Education recently awarded a five-year grant to the Center for its English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and GED high school equivalency programs. The Center also received funds for its ground-breaking Distance Learning Program, in which students participate in ESOL classes via the Internet. NDEC serves as the Hub for state-funded distance learning programs in Massachusetts. As designated by the state, NDEC's staff is responsible for overseeing that financial and administrative requirements are met by 11 other distance learning program providers. Distance learning allows students to participate in courses and programs from remote locations, thereby reducing demand for traditional classroom programs. In this instance, distance learning opportunities are accelerating a student's ability to learn English and assimilate more quickly into society.
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Graduating and Grateful
| NDEC Executive Director Sister Joyce Khoury congratulates a recent high school graduate. |
Notre Dame Education Center (NDEC) may have one foot in cyberspace, but its other is firmly planted in the surrounding community of Boston, Mass. This month, NDEC graduated 48 students from both its GED program and High School Diploma program. GEDs are earned by adult learners older than 21 years of age. The High School Diploma program is for those students under 21 who have dropped out of school and need a limited number of credits to graduate. NDEC graduates have been accepted into such renowned institutions of higher learning as Miami Dade College, Salve Regina University, Northeastern University, Boston College, Brandeis University and the University of Massachusetts. |