PROGRAM INFORMATION

Preschool

Elementary (K - 5)

Curriculum (All Grades)

WELCOME

Thank you for your interest in Tucker-Maxon. We hope you will use this site to learn more about our educational model, curriculum, and programs. Although most of our recruitment happens in the spring, spaces can open in any grade throughout the year. If you would like to take a tour of our campus and see our classes in action, please do not hesistate to contact us.

HEARING CHILDREN AT TUCKER-MAXON

History

Tucker-Maxon was founded in 1947 by five families who dreamed of giving their deaf children the gift of speech. For decades, Tucker-Maxon has recognized the power of deaf and hearing children learning together. The increasing availability of cochlear implants allowed us to bring hearing students to Tucker-Maxon full-time in 2001.

Our model allows both children with hearing loss and children with typical hearing to make great strides. Our model is unique in Oregon and is considered a leading-edge approach to teaching children with hearing loss to listen and speak. Children with typical hearing who attend Tucker-Maxon are not just getting a great education – they’re making history.

Tucker-Maxon was named for our first teacher, Alice Maxon, and for Max Tucker, our earliest supporter and first benefactor.

Deaf & Hearing Children Learning Together- How It Works

A typical class has a majority of children with typical hearing and 2 - 5 children who are hearing impaired. Our children who are deaf do not use sign language; instead, thanks to the best technologies and therapies available, they learn to speak and listen very well.

Each class is taught by a certified regular educator or early childhood specialist, while children with hearing impairment get additional services from a licensed teacher of the deaf, an on-site speech-language pathologist, and an on-site audiologist. All children get ample support from teachers and aides in individual, small, and large group activities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will my child learn sign language?

A: Instead of signing, our children with hearing loss learn to listen and speak using the best technologies and therapies available. By age four, many of them speak about as well as a typically hearing child of the same age.

Q: Will going to school with deaf children slow my child’s academic progress?

A: No. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Our children with typical hearing make exceptional yearly progress in core academic subjects.

Benefits for Hearing Children

The conversation between deaf and hearing children enriches both. While modeling typical speech for their friends with hearing loss, hearing children who attend Tucker-Maxon learn that we are all inherently worthy of kindness and attention, competent when faced with challenges, and capable of friendship.

Our low student-teacher ratios mean that day-to-day classroom instruction can respond to fit your child’s individual needs. Those who need extra help, get it. Those who are ahead of the group in a particular area are able to grow at their own pace. Each student is known, and each student is valued.

In the 2006-07 school year, our elementary students with typical hearing made, on average, 1.3, 1.6, and 1.7 years of progress in reading, writing, and math, respectively. We believe our students’ academic success is due to our ability to tailor instruction to the individual.

Over sixty years ago, Tucker-Maxon was started by a group of committed parents, and it remains a close-knit, family-oriented school to this day. It is a place where students—deaf and hearing —prepare for lifelong learning and citizenship.