47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School

47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School
View of school from 23rd Street
Address
Map
225 East 23rd Street

New York City
,
New York
10010

United States
Coordinates40°44′18″N 73°58′53″W / 40.7383°N 73.9814°W / 40.7383; -73.9814
Information
Former nameP.S. 47
Established1908
School districtNew York City Department of Education
Teaching staff32.65 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12[1]
Enrollment234[1]
Student to teacher ratio7.17[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School, is a public high school for the deaf in Kips Bay, Manhattan, New York City.[2] Operated by the New York City Department of Education, it was previously known as "47" The American Sign Language and English Dual Language High School,[3] Junior High School 47M, School for the Deaf,[4] or Junior High School 47 (J.H.S. 47).[5]

As of 2021 it only serves high school students.[6] Elementary and middle school grades are covered by the separate PS 347 The 47 American Sign Language & English Lower School.[7] The two schools share a building.[8]

In the 1940s it was the only public school catering specifically to the deaf in New York City.[5][9] This remained true in 1998.[5][10]

History

[edit]

It was established in 1908 and was originally P.S. 47.[11]

In 1998 the school was placed directly under the control of the NYC schools chancellor, and it was to begin teaching American sign language before teaching the English language.[5] This made JHS 47 to be the first school in the United States to designate itself as an ASL language school.[12] Despite its name at the time stating "junior high school", it actually served pre-kindergarten to the 10th grade. In 1998 the school announced it would serve up to grade 12, adding 25-40 students.[5] By 1998 it served infants up to age 21. Martin Florsheim became the first deaf principal of the school.[10]

In 2000 Florsheim attempted to move 35 teachers who did not have fluency in ASL out of his school and take in 35 who had ASL proficiency but the teachers' union opposed the move.[13]

In 2002, its name changed to "47" The American Sign Language and English School. On February 1, 2005 Joel Klein, the chancellor of the school district, divided it into a K-8 and high school for budget reasons.[14]

In 2010, the Department of Education proposed moving students from the Clinton School for Artists and Writers into the deaf schools building. This caused controversy over community members who feared this would disrupt the deaf environment.[15]

Student body

[edit]

In the 2020–2021 school year, the school had 234 students.[1]

Instruction

[edit]

The school uses ASL as its primary language. Previously the school had students use lip-reading, sign language, and whatever hearing abilities they had, which Jeff Archer of Education Week described as "an inconsistent mix".[10] Florsheim stated that therefore, "There was no real clear-cut communication policy in our school" and that the school taught "a watered-down version of a general education curriculum".[10] He stated that therefore the deaf students fell behind relative to hearing peers.[10]

Student discipline

[edit]

In 2007, the State of New York had categorized it as a "persistently dangerous school".[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for American Sign Language & English Secondary School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Location". 47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "Home". "47" The American Sign Language and English Dual Language High School. April 30, 2008. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Deaf/Hard of Hearing Schools". New York City Department of Education. Retrieved June 24, 2021. - It links to the same school site cited earlier
  5. ^ a b c d e Lee, Felicia R. (March 5, 1998). "New York to Teach Deaf in Sign Language, Then English". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2021. [...]the city's only public school for the deaf[...]
  6. ^ "47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School". New York City Department of Education. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "The 47 American Sign Language & English Lower School". New York City Department of Education. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "PS 347 The American Sign Language & English Lower School". Inside Schools. Retrieved June 24, 2021. - The page for M047 (high school) states: "223 East 23 Street, Manhattan, NY 10010" and the page for M347 (lower school) states: "223 East 23 Street, Manhattan, NY 10010"
  9. ^ Sullivan, Christopher D. III (December 7, 2003). "EXECUTIVE LIFE: THE BOSS; Helping Deaf Investors". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e Archer, Jeff (March 18, 1998). "N.Y.C. Gives Nod to Sign Language for Deaf". Education Week. Retrieved June 24, 2021. The school, the city system's only one devoted exclusively to serving the hearing-impaired,[...]
  11. ^ "History". 47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  12. ^ "USA: New York: ASL to be recognized as a language". Associated Press. March 28, 1998. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  13. ^ Holloway, Lynette (July 2, 2000). "Union Thwarts Effort to Replace Teachers in School for Deaf". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  14. ^ "About Us". The 47 American Sign Language & English Lower School. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  15. ^ MacDonald, Kerri (May 3, 2010). "Push to Insulate Deaf Students From Dissimilar School". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2021. - The source talks about the 347 K-8 school, which shares a building with the high school.
  16. ^ Chan, Sewell (August 21, 2007). "State Releases List of 'Persistently Dangerous' Schools". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
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40°44′18″N 73°58′53″W / 40.73833°N 73.98139°W / 40.73833; -73.98139

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