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Section 3:
Demonstration Schools (KDES and MSSD)
SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY
The model schools of Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center (Clerc
Center) are committed to developing the full Potential of deaf and hard
of hearing students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds who
have a variety of abilities, skills, and experiences. Our goal is to provide
an education that is academically challenging and fully accessible, where
students develop a positive sense of self-worth and broad-based literacy.
This includes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to function
as successful, independent, contributing members of society.
We believe these goals can best be accomplished when home and school
work together to provide educational experiences that integrate academic,
physical, emotional, and social development.
The Clerc Center emphasizes addressing each student's individual needs
within a visual environment that promotes language development in both
American Sign Language and English. The design of learning and language
instruction are governed by the strengths inherent in the children we
serve, children for whom the primary receptive channel of communication
and learning is visual. The Clerc Center offers substantial support to
each child's family, provides exposure to the culture and language of
Deaf people, and develops innovative, developmentally appropriate teaching
strategies and uses of technology within a positive, nurturing environment.
We at the Clerc Center believe that individualized education of the whole
child process that must integrate all aspects of a student's development.
In this document, we have addressed six main areas of focus that function
interdependently in each student's education:
~ Academic Achievement ~
Our goal is to provide an academically challenging educational environment
for all deaf students in order that they leave school fully equipped to
move successfully into college, other forms of postsecondary education,
or the workforce, and to become effective participants in and contributors
to society. In this context, the term deaf is used to describe children
for whom the primary channel of receptive communication is visual.
We believe that:
Deafness does not limit a child's ability to achieve academically. Every
student deserves the benefit of our highest expectations.
Broad-based literacy (linguistic, quantitative, and cultural), as well
as well-developed critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making
skills are critical if students are to achieve high levels of academic
achievement.
The home and school must work as partners to promote positive selfesteem
and heightened achievement in the wide variety of endeavors each student
will undertake.
Diverse faculty and staff impact positively on students' motivation to
achieve academically and to set their sights high.
The education our students receive must respect and reflect both the language
and culture of the American Deaf community, English as the language of
society at large, and the linguistic and cultural diversity of all students
and their families.
The Clerc Center takes a proactive stance with regard to the academic
achievements of its students, provides increased options for all students,
and maintains high academic standards and expectations, without regard
to cultural, racial, gender, or other stereotypes.
~ Family Involvement ~
The Clerc Center acknowledges parents as the ultimate decision-makers
in their child's education. Parents' intimate knowledge of their own child
is viewed as a valuable and highly respected source of information. Family
members are actively invited to express their views, questions, hopes,
and concerns. Our aim is to provide the kind of support, information,
and opportunities that help parents make informed decisions, develop good
communication with their deaf child, and become effective advocates who
are knowledgeable about their child's rights and their rights as parents.
We believe that:
Each family has a unique set of strengths, needs, learning styles, viewpoints,
and levels of information and acceptance about having a child who is deaf.
Each family, therefore, needs access to comprehensive information that
reflects state-of-the-art innovations in the education of deaf children.
Each family has the right to exposure to the diverse viewpoints and experiences
of deaf children and adults and their deaf and hearing families, as well
as professionals and others who provide them with services.
The educational atmosphere must embody respect for each family's values,
beliefs, and culture. The school must work closely with parents as partners
in guiding their child's development and in identifying goals and outcomes
for their child. Families should be given opportunities to participate
in a wide range of activities throughout their child's education that
provide information about, exposure to, and comfort with all aspects of
that child's education, communication, and socialization.
~ Language and Communication ~
The Clerc Center recognizes the right of deaf children to utilize their
innate abilities for language development. Through effective cooperation
between home and school, the Clerc Center's goal is to provide a linguistically-rich
environment for the acquisition of American Sign Language and English,
as well as to encourage the continued development of the language of the
home. The Clerc Center's entire school philosophy is grounded in the following
beliefs about language and communication:
The language a child develops from birth provides the foundation for literacy,
achievement, and full participation in the family, in school, and in society.
Visual communication is crucial to a deaf child's linguistic, cognitive,
social, and emotional growth and must begin as early as possible, at home
and at school.
A solid first language base and a positive sense of self provide the foundation
for each deaf child to acquire the high levels of proficiency in language
and literacy needed for academic success. Such proficiency also empowers
students to develop and utilize their individual abilities to communicate
effectively through various forms of signed, written, and spoken communication
in a wide range of settings.
To acquire solid early language competence, deaf children need frequent
and sustained interaction with people who use a language that is fully
accessible to them. Family members, whose active communication with the
child is crucial, as well as deaf peers and adults whose primary language
is American Sign Language, play very important roles in promoting that
competence.
Well-developed English literacy is a critical factor in deaf people's
full participation in society. A print-rich environment that provides
early and meaningful experience with text is an extremely important part
of a deaf child's education. Assistive and augmentative listening devices
and technology, in conjunction with appropriate intervention strategies,
can make significant contributions to the education of children who can
benefit from auditory and speech development. Opportunities for parents
to learn about American Sign Language, to receive information about Deaf
communities, and to exchange knowledge and interact with other parents--hearing
and deaf--are important components in the growth, adjustment, language-learning,
and communication skills of both the parents and their child. Regardless
of a child's age or background, language input must be child-centered--appropriate
to that child's individual linguistic and communicative needs and development.
~ Student Development ~
The Clerc Center provides a challenging and supportive environment where
intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development are considered
interdependent. Students' total development is enhanced through the integration
of classroom and non-classroom experiences that actively involve them
and that promote positive social interactions and effective work habits.
We believe that:
Students develop best in a challenging and supportive environment where
academic and personal development are integrated.
A high level of student involvement is encouraged in activities that promote
decision-making, leadership, positive work habits, social interaction,
and community service.
Interaction with a diverse Deaf community, as well as society at large,
are crucial components in the development of each student's positive sense
of self-worth.
The environment at The Clerc Center provides an excellent milieu for faculty,
staff, and parents to work together in enhancing each student's overall
growth and development.
~ Diversity ~
The Clerc Center affirms its commitment to value and nurture the diversity
reflected in its students, families, faculty, and staff, and the society
at large. Through its instructional, student life, and support programs,
students have the opportunity to learn accurate, comprehensive, non-biased
information about diverse groups. Faculty and staff who reflect societies
diversity are highly valued and actively sought.
Every attempt is made to ensure that our curricula, instructional materials,
and publications reflect diversity, and are nonsexist and free from
bias. Faculty and staff work to develop curricula that foster critical
thinking skills and promote empathetic interactions. They support students
in becoming confident, knowledgeable citizens who actively challenge stereotypes,
prejudices, and discriminatory practices. The Clerc Center's utilization
of accurate, comprehensive, non-biased information provides a strong basis
for all programs and national mission activities. We believe that students
should have the opportunity to:
live and learn in a community that demonstrates respect, acceptance and
appreciation for differences, including the differences in communication
needs and preferences within the deaf community;
learn about the cultures of Deaf people in the United States and abroad;
learn about their own cultural heritage and appreciate its uniqueness
as well as the cultural heritage of others;
learn to recognize debilitating biases and their impact;
develop a responsibility to advocate for respect for human dignity and
the rights of each individual;
interact with role models (peers and adults) who reflect the diversity
of the school community;
experience a climate where respect for the culture of the family is clearly
demonstrated by school personnel, and family members are partners with
school personnel in this journey to understand and appreciate differences.
The Clerc Center is committed to providing an environment where appreciation
for diversity and healthy cross-cultural relations are reflected in all
aspects of school life; where student learns to communicate, associate,
and participate in a diverse community and a pluralistic society.
~ Transition ~
Finally, the Clerc Center' goal is to explore, implement, and assess
effective, comprehensive transition services that meet the individual
needs of each student. This is best accomplished through a coordinated
set of activities that encompasses all major aspects of the transition
from early childhood to living independently and participating fully in
the community. We believe that:
Each student should be given opportunities to develop the skills necessary
to successfully move into a variety of academic and non-academic environments.
All students have the right to gain access to the knowledge and experiences
they need to become full participants in society and to seek challenging
careers.
The Clerc Center is, therefore, committed to providing outcome-oriented
transition services to students and their families that include, but are
not limited to, the following areas:
Academic: facilitating students' movement from program to program
-- early intervention programs to preschool, preschool to elementary
school, elementary school to high school, high school to postsecondary
programs.
Career: providing students with the knowledge and experiences to
prepare them to move into job and career opportunities that capitalize
on their preferences, interests, and abilities.
Social: offering support and encouragement to assist students in
becoming full participants and contributors in the deaf community and
the community at large.
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