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River's One-of-a-Kind Inclusion Program

The River School serves as an international model for the inclusive education of young children ages 18 months through Grade 5. At River, our classrooms have a majority of students (85%) with normal hearing and a few with hearing loss who use cochlear implants or hearing aids. All River students benefit from the robust educational experience that includes a focus on language, literacy and social-emotional learning; theme-based curriculum; and a wide array of classes in the arts, sciences and physical development. The school uses a unique co-teaching model that pairs a master’s level educator and a speech-language pathologist full time in each classroom, a unique and effective combination that allows for personalized education for each child. 

Inclusive classrooms are considered the gold standard in early childhood and elementary education, because they are characterized by highly trained faculty, favorable student-teacher ratios, and a curriculum drawn from leading research.

Inclusive programs naturally encourage students to develop tolerance, empathy and resilience.

Diversity Statement

The River School was founded on the belief that inclusion is essential and the best practice of early childhood education.

We are a thriving, diverse community of learners in which human differences are respected, explored, and celebrated as vital reflections of the larger society and world.

We embrace human diversity as a rich, living educational resource and believe multiculturalism to be relevant and mutually beneficial.

How we think about a child’s capacity affects that child’s performance, and we believe in and are committed to high standards for all children.

Our diversity includes individuals with hearing loss and the broad range of human variability, including dimensions of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender and gender expression, and socioeconomic status.

Diversity is an ongoing process by which a school expresses its commitment to bring different peoples and perspectives into its community, curriculum and culture. We work to create a sense of connectedness so that our members feel safe to explore and challenge dynamic, multifaceted differences in open inquiry.

We understand that such a community is crucial for our students’ future successful participation in the wider world. With this understanding, we engage in diversity, equity and inclusion work to nurture our understanding of others and ourselves.

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