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The NAD created recommendations to help guide schools for the deaf and/or state departments of education that are seeking to search for and select new school leaders. The goal of these recommendations is to support schools for the deaf in their search and selection process to find and hire the best possible candidates to take on leadership roles in their programs #AskHoward

To learn more: Link


VIDEO DESC & TRANSCRIPT: Howard A. Rosenblum is sitting at his desk. The NAD logo appears on bottom right corner as a watermark.

HOWARD: Schools and programs for the deaf across the U.S. are making great progress, but they face leadership changes. It is understandable that our community is concerned each time there is a leadership change through retirement, resignation or removal. In June, we posted recommendations for schools and programs for the deaf on steps for implementing leadership changeeach time there is a leader position to fill. Typically, the first step is to set up the search committee. It is important to identify the right people to be on the committee. We recommend that the majority of the committee be deaf and hard of hearing. The members of the search committee can be varied including alumni, state association representatives, teachers, parents, and others. It is important that the search committee reflects and is representative of the students' background, race, religion, and so forth. Once the search committee begins the search process, it must establish a relationship with the community for the duration of the search. The deaf community must be involved, included, and kept informed of the process, from start to finish. To not include the deaf community in the school's process can disrupt the entire process. The search committee begins its search by deciding the criteria for selecting their next leader to help the school thrive and ensure a successful education for all deaf children. We recommended that the criteria include:

- Training to handle all aspects of administration and governance of a school
- Ability to oversee all employees and functions of the school
- Fluency in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English, with sensitivity and ability to accommodate students and parents from homes that speak or sign other languages. A bilingual leader will inspire all students and give them a role model for the acquisition of two languages for the furtherance of their education.
- Knowledge of how to continue or implement bilingual education promoting best practices for education of deaf and hard of hearing students.

We strongly urge schools to look within the deaf and hard of hearing community to locate their next school leader.

The NAD acknowledges that the task of selecting a school leader does not come easily. For this reason, the NAD stands ready to provide support to schools to find the best individual for the position. The same goes for the community if they are concerned about the next steps of the school -- contact the NAD and let us know. We can support you. Regardless if you represent the school or the community, our end goal is to unite everyone together to achieve the most important task: the best education possible and success for deaf children.

Video fades to a soft white background with several different font types showing “NAD” very quickly. Copyright video ends with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) logo centered. Blue text below the logo appears, "The National Association of the Deaf / (copyright) 2018 All Rights Reserved / Link ; a yellow highlight of the URL appears at the end.

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