John Pirone
In the United States, over 80 percent of deaf children are placed in mainstream schools, and less than 40 percent use sign language. Numerous studies have reported that deaf students deal with academic, social, and health challenges as well as with access and support services. Deaf students struggle because conditions in mainstream schools hinder them from developing their signed language skills, cultural identity, and understanding of their deaf being and the world. To address this phenomenon, I will present and discuss John Dewey’s concept of educational waste to understand how the absence of sign language and Deaf culture for deaf children in mainstream schools constitutes a type of educational waste. Then I introduce and discuss Paul Gorski's equity literacy framework as to how it can address the educational waste. Teaching nondeaf educators sign language and deaf culture is not enough. Understanding how school policies, practices, and cultures hinder deaf students’ ability to develop their natural language and deaf identity is critical. Educators can then take action to eliminate educational waste and create an equitable environment that promotes sign language and deaf culture.