Motto
Education Without Limits!
Mission
The mission of the Missouri School for the Deaf is to provide educational opportunities and outreach support for students to become successful life-long learners and productive citizens in a global society.
Vision
The Missouri School for the Deaf is dedicated to become a premier bilingual center for educational and outreach programs by:
- Providing a language rich environment that is data-driven and ability-centered.
- Serving as a statewide resource center for families, educators and communities.
- Expanding outreach services to schools and agencies.
- Serving as a model teaching and learning environment that results in successful outcomes for students.
Philosophy
The faculty and staff of the Missouri School for the Deaf believe that the purpose of education is to guide, assist, and encourage students to become involved, productive citizens and independent life-long learners. To that end we believe it is our responsibility to provide opportunities for all students to achieve mastery of skills commensurate with their abilities. We further believe that it is the purpose of the Missouri School for the Deaf to provide these opportunities for individual growth within intellectual, social, physical, and emotional spheres.
In partnership with students, parents, and community members, we accept the responsibility to present opportunities for learning to all students, and to encourage them to assume the responsibility to attain their maximum potential. Our purpose is to provide a student centered environment for learning that meets the needs of a diversified student population. All students can learn and become productive citizens. We believe students learn by:
- Being involved in problem solving and decision-making processes,
- Using different learning styles,
- Building on previous learning,
- Interacting in an environment conducive to risk-taking,
- Interacting with peers through collaboration and participation,
- Interacting in an environment that respects the rich cultural heritage of the Deaf community at large as well as each individual ethnic cultural heritage of which a student may be part, and
- Being empowered through guidance and role models to identify their own roles as productive members of American society as a whole.
Communication Philosophy
The faculty, staff, and administration of the Missouri School for the Deaf affirm the following statement as their philosophy of communication:
- Comprehension occurs when understandable communication exists between two or more people. We recognize that our students come to school possessing a broad range of communication skills, which necessitate a variety of responses to ensure that comprehension occurs.
- We believe that all students have the right to a bilingual/multicultural school environment. This means the earliest possible access to American Sign Language (ASL), the primary language of the Deaf culture—and access to the English language in reading, writing, auditory training and speech. Within this environment, students can develop a strong foundation for dual language competency.
- We believe that this fundamental student right fosters respect and understanding. We shall provide an academically and culturally enriched learning environment for all students in order that they may develop a sense of identity within the Deaf and hearing communities.