Student Life in the New Millennium: Empowering Education for Deaf Students. Sharing Ideas.

This paper focuses on goal-directed student life programming (all programming of activities occurring outside of regular school hours) for residential and day students. First, the need for change in student life programming is documented, noting discrepancies between what employers need and students' skills. The importance of establishing desired outcomes for students is stressed, with examples from the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) both in Washington, DC. These outcomes address: (1) essential knowledge and skills; (2) linguistic and communicative competency; (3) thinking and cooperative skills; (4) emotional intelligence; and (5) life-plan goals. Five elements are identified as critical aspects of successful student life programming (safety, education, community, self-esteem, and structure). The five KDES/MSSD outcomes are then used to illustrate how outcomes can guide specific student life programming initiatives. (Contains 16 references.) (DB)