It depends on the usage, and the words that follow. If something has 'gained notoriety' with regards to something positive (teaching of modern languages), then it is a good sort of fame.
"Notorious for..." is really only used to express a negative/infamy. For example "Suggustopedia was notorious for teaching languages poorly..." However, you might hear it used in comedy to express a positive because they would be opposing words: "He was notorious for being a good father."