| |
 |
 |
|
NATIONAL MISSION
A. NATIONAL MISSION PRIORITIES
Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) and the Model Secondary
School for the Deaf (MSSD) are the two demonstration schools within the
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. The primary purpose of
the Clerc Center is to improve the quality of education afforded to deaf
and hard of hearing students from birth to age 21 across the United States.
This is referred to as the Clerc Center’s national mission.
The Clerc Center works in partnership with schools and programs throughout
the nation to develop, collect, disseminate, conduct research into, and
evaluate effective educational strategies. The goal of these collaborative
partnerships is the provision of quality educational opportunities to
all students, with particular attention given to students who are lower
achieving academically, come from families who speak a language other
than English in the home, have additional disabilities, are members of
diverse racial or cultural groups, or live in rural areas.
In 1995, the Clerc Center,
as a result of input from its National Mission Advisory Panel and other
public input, identified the following three areas to be the focus of
its national mission initiatives:
- Family involvement
- Literacy
- Transition to the world of work and post-secondary education
These priorities guide the focus of all Clerc Center programs, including
KDES and MSSD.
 top
B. ACCREDITATION FOR GROWTH: MISSION & BELIEF
STATEMENTS
KDES and MSSD serve deaf and hard of hearing students from infancy through
high school. We are the federally mandated demonstration schools of the
Clerc Center at Gallaudet University.
KDES/MSSD, a community with diversity at its core, challenges each
student to achieve personal excellence in academics, communication, thinking
skills, emotional intelligence, and life planning in order to become
a self-directed, contributing member of society. Using American Sign
Language and English, students are active partners in their Individualized
Education Program. We explore effective approaches to teaching and learning
that we share with families and professionals throughout the country.
- We believe that the development of the whole child is essential
and that each child has unique interests, needs, and abilities.
- We believe that all children who are deaf or
hard of hearing can learn, achieve, and be responsible for their education.
- We believe that a student’s positive sense
of self is critical for school achievement and success throughout life.
- We believe that involved families are more effective
advocates for their children.
- We believe that a cooperative partnership among
the student, family, school, and community is essential for student
growth and development.
- We believe that literacy skills are fundamental
to student success.
- We believe that an academic program should be
broad, challenging, and individualized to promote a lifelong desire
to learn.
- We believe that access to American Sign Language,
English, and all aspects of communication is crucial to a deaf or hard
of hearing student’s development.
- We believe that acquisition of language must
begin as early as possible at home and in school.
- We believe that exposure to and experience with
Deaf culture will enrich the lives of students and their families.
- We believe that a school community should embrace
cultural diversity, a spirit of learning, mutual caring, and respect.
- We believe that
competence with technology is integral to deaf and hard of hearing
students’ access to information and communication.
top
C. SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY
MISSION STATEMENT
The Clerc Center at Gallaudet University comprises two federally mandated
demonstration schools for students from birth through age 21 who are
deaf. Its two demonstration schools on Gallaudet's campus work in collaboration
with a network of exemplary programs and professionals to identify, research,
develop, evaluate, and disseminate innovative curricula, materials, educational
strategies, and technologies for deaf and hard of hearing students.
The Clerc Center also provides training and technical assistance to
families and programs throughout the United States, and serves as a model
individualized educational program, working in close partnership with
our students and their families.
PHILOSOPHY
The model schools of the 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 is a 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:
1. 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) and
well-developed critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making
skills are critical if students are to achieve high levels of academic
achievement.
- Diverse teachers and staff impact positively on students' motivation
to set their sights high and to achieve academically.
- 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 toward 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.
2. FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
The Clerc Center acknowledges parents or guardians as the ultimate
decision makers in their child's education. Parents'/guardians’ 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 or
guardians 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 or guardians.
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, 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
or guardians 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.
3. 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, school,
and 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, and 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 experiences 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 or guardians to learn about American Sign
Language, receive information about deaf communities, and exchange
knowledge and interact with other parents or guardians—hearing
and deaf—are important components in the growth, adjustment,
language-learning, and communication skills of both the parents or
guardians 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.
4. STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
The Clerc Center provides a challenging and supportive environment
that fosters interdependent growth in students' intellectual, social,
emotional, and physical development. 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
integrating academic and personal development.
- A high level of student involvement is encouraged in activities promoting
decision-making, leadership, positive work habits, social interaction,
and community service.
- Interactions 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 teachers, staff, and parents or guardians to work together in enhancing
each student's overall growth and development.
5. DIVERSITY
The Clerc Center affirms its commitment to value and nurture the diversity
reflected in its students, families, teachers, 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. Teachers and staff who reflect society’s
diversity are highly valued and actively sought.
Every attempt is made to ensure that our curricula, instructional materials,
and publications reflect diversity and are non-sexist and free from bias.
Teachers 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, 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 of human dignity
and the rights of each individual;
-
interact with role models (peers and adults) who reflect the diversity
of the school community; and
-
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 each student learns to communicate, associate,
and participate in a diverse community and a pluralistic society.
6. TRANSITION
Finally, the Clerc Center's 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.
top
|
