WAITT House (We're All In This Together) was established in 1979 by the Sisters of Charity, a group of educators who have been working in Roxbury for over 110 years. The Sisters, along with community residents, established WAITT House as a nonsectarian, nonprofit, community-based organization whose mission reflects community services, adult literacy, and economic empowerment in Roxbury-North Dorchester neighborhoods.

As coordinator of Literacy Services at the Boston Public Library, I have worked with Stephen Hanley, executive director of WAITT House, for the last two years through the Roxbury Adult Literacy Coalition (RALC). I have also worked with many of WAITT House's External Diploma Program (EDP) students as they used library resources and attended our workshops and tutoring program. I recently sat down with Stephen and learned much more about WAITT House's EDP program, its students and their accomplishments.

History
What is an External Diploma Program (EDP)?
EDP is a collaborative program of WAITT House and the Boston Public Schools (BPS). WAITT House has been credentialed for the last twenty years to offer the EDP. In EDP, students must complete five units of study called tasks (subjects). Each EDP student is also required to prove competency in additional skills he or she developed through life or work experience. This competency, called the individual skill, can be demonstrated by an above average evaluation of job performance, a consistent record of volunteer work, successful completion of two college courses or job training program, or reporting on one's experience as a parent.

What are the five tasks?
The five tasks are Community Resources, Consumer Awareness, Career Awareness, Health, and Government and Society. These tasks recognize adult experiences and concerns and they reflect the cultural variety of students.

How do students get into the EDP program at WAITT House?
When a student successfully completes the highest level of the ABE program, passes the BPS diagnostic tests in reading, writing, and math, and successfully completes the preparatory exercise of pre-GED, the or she then qualifies for participation in EDP.

What are some program goals of EDP?
Upon completion of the EDP, students will:

1. Understand how to use community resources to meet the demands of daily living;
2. Know how to manage personal and family finances;
3. Develop knowledge about occupations and career planning techniques;
4. Understand the principles and practices necessary to maintain good physical and mental health;
5. Understand the American governmental and social systems and how each system affects the lives of citizens;
6. Develop typing skills and know how to use basic word processing skills of the Windows program.

What is the instructional approach of the EDP at WAITT House?
WAITT House allows students to work at their own pace while benefiting from the group experience of others in the EDP. The EDP teacher, Deborah Marquardt, conducts classes, and meets individually with each student on a regular basis to ensure that steady academic progress occurs. WAITT House also conducts writing classes to enable students to develop writing, critical thinking, research, and problem-solving skills. Students are also required to complete a computer literacy course.

What does WAITT House do to encourage its students in their EDP work?
One important aspect in motivating students to continue their progress is through students sharing their knowledge and experiences with others. Our EDP students and graduates comprise an advisory committee, which counsels and encourages students and advises WAITT House administration on various needs of students. Also, through our collaboration with local institutions, students conduct field trips to museums, the state house, city hall, Symphony Hall, public hearings, libraries, and cultural events. We have also received grants that allow students to become interns in the following areas: tutoring computer classes, developing clerical skills, conducting workshops, and acting as a liaison to community residents and groups in reference to adult basic education. Extensive counseling and outreach services provided by teachers and counselors support the student as they face challenges. The EDP program at WAITT House is a day program with enough flexibility to accommodate the students' needs.

How many have graduated from the WAITT House EDP?
WAITT House has now passed the four hundred mark in diploma graduates. Four hundred and six (406) WAITT House participants have graduated through Boston Public Schools' EDP, the highest number of graduates among adult literacy programs in Boston, and has maintained an average of 95 percent placement rate of its graduates into jobs, job skills training, or college. On the average, we serve 35 EDP students a year and 15Ð17 graduates. Much credit must be given to Deborah Marquardt for the success rate of EDP participants at WAITT House. Deborah has been the EDP assessor and writing teacher at WAITT House since 1986.

Karin Chao is the coordinator of Literacy Services at the Boston Public Library. She can be reached at: kchao@bpl.org.