BRANCH OF THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT: SSVP

NAME OF SYSTEMIC CHANGE PROJECT: St. Vincent de Paul Adult Learning Center for Empowerment

PROJECT ADDRESS: 1995 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70119

CONTACT PERSON: Sister Lory Schaff, CSJ

LENGTH OF TIME THE PROJECT/PROGRAM HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE: 3 years

PROJECT WEBSITE: www.svdpnola.org

The goals of the St. Vincent de Paul Adult Learning Program are:

1) to meet the needs of undereducated adults of New Orleans;

2) to assist students’ entrance into post-secondary institutions and/or employment; and

3) to secure funding that will enable this program to continue and to expand.

The strategies:

1) to engage adults in a learning/training experience that energizes them;

2) to offer small group sessions, esp. in social studies and current events;

3) to provide visits to post-secondary public institutions;

4) to selectively assign from the computer program, “Employability and Work Maturity Skills”;

5) to monitor participants progress regularly; and

6) to offer educational field trips biannually.

The elements: registration and locator testing, individualized assignments, instructor’s facilitation of learning, scheduled testing, review of results with instructors, modification of assignments, group learning as appropriate, motivational sessions, and text book study complemented by computer programs.

After our first year, recruitment has been unnecessary. The increase of hours of attendance are as follows: first half year, 726; 2nd year – 3,284; 3rd – 6,781; 4th – 11,470. Class is scheduled: Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. ‘til 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. ‘til 7:00 p.m. Staff meet on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. ‘til 12:30 p.m.

Our long-term goal is to work toward a new model of adult basic education. Nation wide, retention rates are typically below acceptable levels. There are many reasons for this; however, to continue with the current model would be unwise. With 7.6 million citizens due to retire over a ten year period -already with the clock ticking- change is needed! Adequate education for ALL citizens is key to avoiding yet another economic crisis.

Until there is systemic change by the U.S. Dept of Education, all citizens will not achieve the necessary level of education for today’s world. We have suggested that a precedent has been set by the G.I. Bill of Rights and the National Science Foundation that would suggest a method to provide sufficient money to educate the poor ones among us. We have prepared a proposal, “Changing the Paradigm for Adult Basic Education”.




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