Ruth Parker Eason School School Improvement Plan

Our School’s Story 

• Ruth Parker Eason School provides a unique learning environment for nearly 170 students with moderate to severe disabilities. Built in 1984, Ruth Parker Eason is a safe and nurturing setting where students benefit from state of the art practices in special education that are delivered through a multi-disciplinary approach. The staff of 108 includes special education teachers, related service providers, health personnel, and support staff.  Our school community is diverse, with a student body comprised of 42% African American, 36% White, and 12% Hispanic students as well as students of Asian, American Indian, and Multiracial ethnicities. 50% of our students qualify for Free and Reduced Meals.

• The staff at Ruth Parker Eason believe that every child can learn, and that each individual student will make progress when presented with high expectations, and provided with both specialized and differentiated instruction.
  Teaching and learning at Ruth Parker Eason are as unique as each of our students. Engaging and experiential learning takes place daily for our students, who range in age from 3 years to 21 years. Opportunities for students to develop learning and social behaviors, vocational skills, functional skills, academics, and communication are embedded into the instruction of an alternative curriculum which aligns to the Common Core Curriculum Standards. Our students’ global development and progress is highly dependent on their communication skills, which is an intentional focus at Ruth Parker Eason. 

• Ensuring that students have access to an individualized and meaningful communication system was the School Improvement focus prior to and through the 2020-21 school years.  During that time, we saw an increase from 65% to 90% of students having a designated communication tool that is used functionally.  Additionally, 100% of classroom settings across the building have multiple modalities for communication available to students. Through the collaboration of all service providers, it is expected that every student at Ruth Parker Eason has a communication system available for their needs and abilities; and that it is accessible in all settings both in the school and community.  The consistent provision of communication tools has opened new opportunities for teaching and learning at Ruth Parker Eason. Communication is a stepping stone into other instructional areas, specifically written language,  which is our current instructional focus. 

• We are excited to continue our journey at Ruth Parker Eason School.  The dedication of our staff and resilience of our students is a dynamic combination, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for our special school community!