Weiler, Grist receive $70K grant to assist NC School for the Deaf
In partnership with the North Carolina School for the Deaf, 甜瓜视频app professors Jess Weiler and Cathy Grist were awarded a $70,000 grant from NC Collaboratory to conduct an organizational assessment of NCSD鈥檚 administrative structures.
This collaboration aims to strengthen educational outcomes for Deaf or hard of hearing students.
In July of 2023, the NC General Assembly released legislation transitioning the oversight of North Carolina鈥檚 three specialty schools (Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf, North Carolina School for the Deaf, and Governor Morehead School for the Blind) from the Department of Public Instruction to a Board of Trustees.
As part of this transition, NC Collaboratory has been tasked with assessing the needs and effectiveness of the three schools.
Being deaf in a world designed by and for hearing people is difficult. Only 3% of the U.S. population uses American Sign Language to communicate. Schools for the deaf are not immune to hearing-centric practices, but they have a long history of tackling obstacles that inhibit Deaf/HH students鈥� learning and success. Weiler and Grist will contribute to this endeavor.
鈥淭he purpose of the project is to formalize NCSD鈥檚 organizational direction and instructional framework through a strategic planning process,鈥� Weiler said. 鈥淭his will be a multi-pronged and all-encompassing approach. The team will consult experts in the field of Deaf education, culturally responsive policies and practices, and cutting-edge research.鈥�
This collaboration came about when Kristin Todd, superintendent for the NC School for the Deaf, reached out to Weiler. Todd did her doctoral thesis at WCU studying evidence-based interventions to meet Deaf/HH students鈥� language and literacy needs. Weiler served as her dissertation committee chair.
Weiler, who has taught in WCU鈥檚 Educational Leadership program for the past 13 years, also has experience working with Deaf/HH during her time as a speech-language pathologist. She later worked as a school administrator in the Buncombe County School system, where she was heavily involved in strategic improvement efforts. Her prior work with Deaf/HH students in tandem with her experience throughout her career enables her to support NCSD through their own improvement journey.
Grist specializes in education and psychology from birth to kindergarten. Her knowledge and expertise will be vital to implementing further frameworks for NCSD鈥檚 emphasis on character education and emotional literacy. Grist鈥檚 knowledge of social-emotional learning and self-regulation in young children will help add to NCSD鈥檚 efforts to educate the whole child.
The project will design an educational framework that is culturally responsive and relevant to Deaf/HH community. Key to ensuring each component of the project progresses with this in mind is including these partners. Deaf/HH principals, teachers, students, and family members will guide each component of the project.
In addition to ensuring that all curriculum changes and organizational direction is informed by the perspectives of individuals that NCSD serves, their input is vital in making sure any changes make a positive impact.
鈥淢eaningful and sustainable change only happens when you involve community members,鈥� Weiler said.