Contact: Daneil Mazone, 215-351-3316
Art Ellis, 215-351-1262
January 13, 2005
WHYY AWARDED GRANT FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
LABOR TO HELP LATINO COMMUNITY EARN HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS
WHYY has received $50,000 from the United States Department of Labor to help
Spanish speaking Pennsylvania residents earn their high school equivalency diplomas
(GED’s). The funding, obtained with the support of U.S. Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA)
and Rick Santorum (R-PA), is part of a $150,000 project that will enable WHYY’s Adult
Learning Service to translate GED math videos into Spanish for regional and national
distribution.
WHYY, in partnership with Workforce Investment Boards in Chester, Delaware,
Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, currently provides GED Connection, a video and
computer-based GED training program, to 20 sites throughout the region. The program is
composed of 39 half-hour video segments covering the topics of math, language arts,
social studies and science.
“The $50,000 contribution will help fund the translation of the math portion of
GED Connection into Spanish and is the first step toward translating the entire program,”
said Susan Knoble, Executive Director of WHYY’s Adult Learning Service. “This
Spanish language learning tool will help Latinos pursue their education and compete for
higher-paying jobs.”
Knoble also stated that a survey conducted of Philadelphia’s Latino community
by the Latino Workforce Development Taskforce in Philadelphia found that 63% of
respondents did not have a high school diploma or GED. “Offering these GED materials
in Spanish will enable WHYY to better serve members of the Latino community who are
pursuing lifelong learning.” According to 2000 Census data, Philadelphia Latinos are the
fastest growing segment of the city’s population.
The videos will be distributed to community sites throughout the Philadelphia
region in early 2006 with the help of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a community
-more-
GED CONNECTION 2-2-2-2
organization serving North Philadelphia’s Latino community. Once available to the
public, The National Center of Adult Literacy at the University of Pennsylvania will
assess the effectiveness of the translated videos in helping the local Hispanic community.
This project is made in partnership with Kentucky Educational Television, the
producer of GED Connection videos and workbooks.
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