Honduras Adopts EDC's English for Latin America Program

WALTHAM, MA | EDC’s English for Latin America (ELA) program has been adopted for use in high schools throughout Honduras under an agreement signed earlier this month. The programs will be used by more than 21,000 students and will assist teachers, regardless of their own proficiency levels, to teach both English and work readiness skills.

The country’s implementation of ELA will be entirely financed by the Honduran Ministry of Education under the agreement signed by First Lady of Honduras Ana García de Hernández and Minister of Education Marlon Escoto. The ELA program, which includes interactive audio instruction (IAI) programs, will be used by 10th graders in select schools around the country.

“More than 40 million students around the world are already using interactive radio lessons,” said EDC senior vice president Nancy Devine. “With ELA, teachers in Honduran high schools will be using a proven resource for English language instruction, helping students achieve internationally recognized benchmarks in English, a language crucial to success in a global economy.”

ELA comprises 100 audio programs that use upbeat, lively lessons, created with the participation of professional musicians, singers, and actors, many of them internationally known. Students and teachers are able to listen to authentic English, as it is spoken throughout the world, via recorded conversations, activities, and songs. The activities guide teachers and students through activities covering the four competencies of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students also learn work skills that will help them attain and keep a job through another EDC curriculum Work Ready Now!

ELA was piloted in Colombia, and the Dominican Republic was the first country to implement the program in schools, funded by the Ministry of Education with support from the Inter-American Development Bank.

“We are so pleased that the ELA family continues to grow,” said EDC’s Kit Yasin who directs the program.

To watch videos and hear a medley of songs from ELA, visit www.englishforlatinamerica.org.

_{Photo credit: Vivian Pavon, METAS
The signing ceremony included (left to right): EDC’s Jessica Miranda, First Lady of Honduras Ana García de Hernández, and Minister of Education Marlon Escoto.}

EDC designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity worldwide. Visit www.edc.org.