Foster, Susan

English

Western Connecticut State University: WestCollections - digitalcommons@wcsu

JADARA 
Volume 26 Number 1 Article 11 
October 2019 
Book Review 
Susan Foster 
Rochester Institute of Technology—National Technical Institute for the Deaf 
Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.wcsu.edu/jadara 
Recommended Citation 
Foster, S. (2019). Book Review. JADARA, 26(1). Retrieved from https://repository.wcsu.edu/jadara/vol26/
iss1/11 
BOOK REVIEW
Toward Effective Public School
Programs for Deaf Students: Context,
Process, and Outcomes by Thomas n.
Kluwln, Donald F. Moores, and Martha Qonter
Qaustad, Editors. (New York, Teachers College
Press, 1992.)
The field of education of deaf people has a
long and sometimes soidid history, pimctuated by
vigorous and frequently heated debate. The recent
trend toward mainstreaming deaf students is no
exception. Hailed by some as breakthrough and
others as a curse, the placement of increasing
numbers of deaf children in public schools has
proved a challenge for even the most enlightened
and dedicated educators. Are deaf children better
off academically in mainstream classes? Are they
accepted socially by hearing peers? By what
criteria should mainstream programs be evaluated?
While Toward Effective Public School Programs for
Deaf Students does not provide all the answers, it
offers a wealth of information to those who must
grapple with these and other critical issues in
making educational decisions regarding deaf
students. As noted by Kluwin in the Introduction,
the primary purpose of this book is to define and
clarify the issues involved in education of deaf
children and youth in mainstream public school
settings. Drawing largely on data collected
through the midpoint of a five-year study of 15
public school districts around the United States, the
book offers readers a discussion of some of the
most current and large scale research available on
mainstream educational programs for deaf
students.
The book is divided into two parts. The first
part describes the context of educational programs,
and includes chapters on the history of school
placements of deaf students, descriptions of the
concept of "local school program," ethnic and
42
cultural considerations, the influence of family
factors on school achievement, and issues of
educational interpreting. In the second part, the
focus shifts to the process and outcomes of
schooling. Chapters in this section cover
communication patterns among deaf and hearing
adolescents, the role of sport and extracurricular
activities in shaping socialization patterns, deaf
students' views of their sodal relationships, the
efficacy of mainstreaming from the classroom
perspective, an analysis of the contributions of
school factors to the success of deaf students, and
the career development of deaf youth.
There are several strengths to this book.
First, it is well organized. The distinction between
the context of educational programs and their
processes and outcomes is a good one,
encouraging readers to consider issues which are
often overlooked but which are critical to a
^mprehensive analysis of schooling. For example,
the historical perspective described in Chapter 1
underscores the ways in which the fate of deaf
people has been tied to that of immigrants, blacks,
and people with other kinds of disabilities, and the
influence of eugenics and radsm on the
development of educational programs for deaf
students.
Second, in most chapters the authors begin
with a comprehensive review of the literature,
often including descriptions of existing theories and
interactive models. They then build on this earlier
work to develop a model to address tiieir area of
focus. This is very helpful for the reader who is
unfemiliar with the larger bodies of work, and
provides all readers with a solid theoretical
framework for understanding and appl3ring the
results of the current project.
Third, the book provides a great deal of new
information. As noted earlier, much of the data
presented is drawn from a longitudinal study
involving 15 public school systems in the United
Vol. 26 No. 1 Summer 1992
1
Foster: Book Review
Published by WestCollections: digitalcommons@wcsu, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
States. This research project is one of the largest
and most comprehensive of its kind, and as such
the results are of great value to those who seek to
improve educational opportunities for deaf people.
There are two areas in the book which I feel
might have been addressed differently. The first
has to do with language, and involves issues of
consistency and sensitivity. For example, in most
chapters the terms ''deaP and sometimes ''hard of
hearing" are used, but in Chapters 8 and 11 the
phrase "hearing impaired" is used. One is left
wondering whether this is due to a fundamental
difference in the populations discussed, or a simple
inconsistency in choice of tenns. The issue of
sensitivity arises over the use of phrases such as
"the deaP and "the hearing impaired." It is now
generally accepted that these phrases de-humanize
those so denoted by portraying them solely in
terms of impairment or hearing status; more
appropriate phrases would be "deaf students," or
"people who are deaf."
The second area of concern has to do with the
degree to which the perspectives of deaf people are
represented in this work. The book is written
almost entirely by hearing people (eight of the ten
contributors are hearing). Moreover, the extent to
which deaf people have been involved in the
design and implementation of the larger research
project is not clear. While the research is sound
and represents a valuable contribution to the field,
it is also important that an enterprise of this
magnitude provide opportunities for input by the
people whose lives will be most affected by the
results. This is especially the case when the topic
is one which has engendered so much controversy.
Opportunities for input may indeed have been
created and simply not reflected in the final
product. However, this leaves the work open to
the criticism that it does not adequately reflect the
perspectives of deaf educators, parents, and
students. In lieu of inviting more deaf people to
contribute chapters, the editors might have asked
deaf people to write commentaries at the end of
individual chapters, collaborate in the
interpretation of research findings, or write a
preface or conclusion to the book. Perhaps in the
final report-which I sincerely hope will be
published in the near future-this will be
addressed.
In summary, this book is an important
resource for all those concerned with education of
deaf students. Teachers, administrators, parents,
students, and counselors will all find something of
value in this work, and should add it to their
personal and professional libraries. As Kluwin
notes, those who approach this book seeking
definitive answers regarding mainstreaming of deaf
students will come away disappointed. However,
those who seek new information to bring to bear
on persistent problems will be more than satisfied.
Susan Foster, Ph.D.
Rochester Institute of Technology
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Rochester, NY
Vol. 26 No. 1 Summer 1992 43
2
JADARA, Vol. 26, No. 1 [1992], Art. 11
https://repository.wcsu.edu/jadara/vol26/iss1/11


Book Review

https://repository.wcsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2179&context=jadara

Book Review

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Western Connecticut State University: WestCollections - digitalcommons@wcsu