A Teacher of the Deaf sits across from a student at a table. They are both using ASL
A teacher of the deaf and a student sitting across the table from one another.

Public School Partnerships

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PUBLIC SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS addresses the specific needs of students with hearing aids and cochlear implants in educational settings, providing a support system for monitoring deaf and hard of hearing students’ academic and developmental progress.

Our Service Area

PSP currently supports almost 900 students across more than 90 Massachusetts school districts! Our team includes Teachers of the Deaf, Educational Audiologists, and Speech-Language Pathologists.

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Learn More

For students, teachers, and families:

PSP services are available to support students and teachers with any level/type of hearing loss in public schools, private schools, regional schools, collaboratives, and universities.

For school districts:

The Public School Partnerships Program (PSP), at The Learning Center for the Deaf (TLC), contracts a variety of consultative services for Deaf/hard of hearing (HOH) children in public schools, private schools, regional schools, collaboratives, and universities. The area of expertise provided by the staff of PSP include educational audiology as well as the education of deaf/HOH individuals. Direct-service-providers maintain required  licensure/certification in their area of expertise and have the level of experience required to fully support our clients in the educational settings.

Services provided by the PSP staff, on location in school settings, will coordinate with the Educational Team,  including but not limited to: classroom teachers, educational specialists, speech-language pathologists, parents, counselors, and school administrators.  PSP services will be provided for students enrolled in special education via Individual Education Plans (IEPs) as well as those enrolled in regular education via 504 Plans.

Consultation Models include:

  • Classroom observation
  • Teacher consultation
  • Educational Support Personnel consultation
  • Speech-Language Pathology consultation 
  • Parent consultation
  • Student consultation
  • Student assessment
  • Participation in IEP, 504, and Team  meetings
  • Curriculum modification
  • Creation and provision of in-service material for teachers and school staff
  • Direct instruction, with the purposes of modeling teaching strategies for the school-based educators
  • Direct instruction, with the purpose of furthering student learning
  • Evaluation of the need for remote microphone hearing assistive technology (RMHAT), formerly referred to as personal or soundfield FM systems
  • Installation and removal of RMHAT components from personal amplification devices
  • Troubleshooting RMHAT systems 
  • Troubleshooting personal amplification systems
  • Supplemental direct instruction services
  • Transition planning

Frequently Asked Questions

As a parent of a Bilingual Hard of Hearing student with additional special needs, I was extremely pleased with the support of the Public School Partnership program.  If not for the PSP program, my son would not have gotten the support that ultimately helped him pass MCAS and achieve a High School Diploma.  My son got what he needed in terms of hearing loss support and my town was able to successfully graduate one of their multi special needs students, which never would have happened without the Public School Partnership.  

Parent of Student
Public School Partnerships

As a Director of Special Education, my experience with Deaf/Hard of Hearing students was non-existent until a kindergarten child with hearing loss was on the roster, and the teacher wanted to make his learning experience as accessible as all the other students.  The teacher's questions were many, and my answers were few.  Fortunately, working with trained staff from TLC taught me that every child with hearing loss needs an educational audiologist who is part of the school team, and who can both educate the staff on an ongoing basis and provide services to children. 

Karen T.
Director of Special Education, Local Public School District