David Weinstein

Register Forum (RF): What distinguishes you from the other eight candidates?

David Weinstein (DW): I am the only person who has both served on the School Committee and as a classroom teacher. I know how to connect innovations and ideals with classroom realities. I taught high school English and art K-12 in public schools in New York and Massachusetts. I worked with children with special learning needs at a specialized summer camp and was a substitute teacher at the New York School for the Deaf. I studied educational policy and practice for my Master’s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and I have spent my career in K-12 and college education. I’m also the parent of a 4th grader and a 9th grader in the Cambridge Public Schools.

RF: How could the School Committee be more effective?

DW: In subcommittee meetings that I chaired, I invited educators, students, families, and organizational representatives of the Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) and the Cambridge Families of Color Coalition (CFCC) to participate—not just when we were discussing a topic ostensibly related to any of these individuals or groups specifically, but because with more perspectives and experiences at the table, there is more wisdom and better decision making and fewer blind spots. I think we can do better at collaborating with students in particular, and with families and teachers as well, throughout our processes—the budget, the superintendent hiring process, and policymaking. We are interdependent. We will make [a] better policy with better outcomes—and we will continue to grow as a community that has strong ties within itself.

RF: How do you aim to close the achievement gap?

DW: We have so much in Cambridge. The people, the financial resources, the municipal programs, the community organizations, and the innovative businesses. And yet, racial and economic opportunity gaps persist. These opportunity gaps do not persist in Cambridge because of a lack of resources. Rather, even with these resources, individuals fall through the cracks and don’t get the supports they need or are left to languish without the push or opportunity to go above and beyond. As Chair of the Curriculum and Achievement Subcommittee I have laid the groundwork for Cambridge to move forward with “Individualized Student Success Plans” for all, as part of a “cradle to career” system of support, so we know the progress and needs of each and every child, and can be sure that their needs are met—even if some of those needs are not going to be addressed by the school. (By the way, I refer to “opportunity” gaps instead of “achievement” gaps because it focuses our attention on our responsibility as educators and on what opportunities—including supports—we are creating for kids. The problem is not the failure of children to achieve; the problem is our failure as adults to support.

RF: Do you think that Level Up is doing what it is supposed to?

DW: I am a strong supporter of Level Up. I experienced heterogeneously grouped classes myself as a student and as a teacher in public schools. I was advocating for heterogeneous grouping when I first ran for School Committee six years ago before Level Up was in place, and a top priority for me when I was elected and joined the School Committee in January 2020 was to figure out if it was being properly supported. I was concerned that structural issues around scheduling and staffing were creating unintended problems. Before I could bring together various stakeholders (including students, teachers, administrators) and get to the bottom of this, the pandemic struck, and none of our classes were functioning in their usual way. This school year I am again focused on understanding how well Level Up is functioning, and I am committed to getting it right. There is much evidence that this is the right approach for all students when done right. When done wrong, no student is well served. To get it right we need to continually support our teachers as we expand Level Up, and as new teachers join CRLS, and we need to look critically at Level Up and address any issues. Every individual brings different learning needs and strengths to the classroom. Level Up can and should support students who begin the semester struggling to get the support they need to reach proficiency and students who begin the semester ready to go above and beyond the material very quickly. Heterogeneously grouped classes can help students in both situations succeed, and go farther than they otherwise might have in “leveled” classes. So I am very focused on finding out if Level Up is doing what it is supposed to do, and supporting it to ensure that it does.

RF: What do you see as CPSD’s greatest strength?

DW: The greatest strength of CPSD is our students and our educators. (I know that’s two strengths!). Our students are passionate about their interests and engage with the world, and bring a wide variety of lenses and personal and family experiences together in community with each other. Our educators care deeply about the mission of CPSD and CRLS, the wellbeing and growth of kids, and their areas of expertise. This combination is what makes the Cambridge Public Schools such a vibrant, supportive community that will not rest until everyone is thriving.

RF: What do you see as CPSD’s greatest weakness?

DW: As I noted earlier, we have so many resources in Cambridge: the people, the money, the municipal programs, the community organizations, and the innovative businesses. Yet kids are still falling through the cracks, in need of additional supports, in need of opportunities, sometimes in need of a push to achieve at a higher level. We need to ensure we have a comprehensive system of “cradle to career” supports that knit together our schools, the city, partners, and businesses to ensure each and every student is getting what they need and is ready to succeed after graduation. This must include preschool access, afterschool programs, sports and extracurriculars, special education and advanced learning supports, robust college and career guidance, and internship and apprenticeship opportunities.

RF: On your website, you state that a priority for you is to “Continue to challenge the status quo and fight against misogyny and gender-based harassment and assault.” Do you have any specific examples of how to do so?

DW: Working with our Student School Committee members and my colleagues, inspired by the activism of CRLS students, I was the lead author of a motion this spring (C21-141) that called for a report on the implementation of the School Committee’s 2017 Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Action Plan Recommendations. Several district administrators updated us on this work at the May 18th meeting when this was discussed. Though I have a lot of respect for the people updating us, I wasn’t too impressed with the update conversation, which to me, played down the severity of the problem — and didn’t fully answer the questions we raised in the motion. (Video of that meeting is here: https://reflect-video-ondemand- cpsd.cablecast.tv/vod/8660-School-Committee-Meeting-v1/vod.mp4 You can see some of the amazing public comments from our students and teachers at the beginning of the meeting, and you can see my response to their testimony and to the update to the Committee at 1:12:28) The motion was referred to the School Climate Subcommittee. We have not come far enough as a district since that 2017 plan was adopted. I am committed to continuing this fight as a School Committee member, and to doing this work in collaboration with students, educators, administrators, and experts inside and outside of CPSD. Five years from now we must not be looking back and again asking “What happened?”

RF: How have you personally made an impact on CPSD during your previous experience on the school committee?

DW: Some of the work I’ve done in my first term on the School Committee:

– I established the district’s Outdoor Learning Working Group as a key part of our COVID response, and so we can expand outdoor learning and recess post-pandemic.

– To improve community engagement, as Chair of the Communications and Community Relations Subcommittee I ensured the Caregiver University planning process was fully funded, and centered and supported families of color.

– As Chair of the Curriculum and Achievement Subcommittee, I laid the groundwork for “Individualized Student Success Plans” that will ensure each child’s needs are identified and met, and everyone is supported to advance and excel.

– As a member of the Special Education and Student Supports Subcommittee I worked to ensure our special education services are accessible to all who need them.

– I worked to minimize the disruptive impact of MCAS in this pandemic, calling for the state to suspend MCAS requirements in the 2020-21 academic year.

– I paid attention to the disparate academic, social, and emotional impact of the pandemic and of the necessary health and safety measures on different children and families, and worked to address issues with targeted supports.

– I led my colleagues on the School Committee in voting down the proposed school calendar for this year that scheduled the 1st day of school for students during Rosh Hashanah and continued to advocate and work with my colleagues on the School Committee and in the CPS administration until we made this right. I give massive credit to the Jewish Heritage Club, which was a leader in this advocacy, and to the many CRLS students and others in our community who spoke out for this change—including many who do not themselves observe the holiday or do not observe in a way that would have been impacted by the originally proposed calendar. This, to me, is an example of Cambridge at its best.

This interview was conducted over email.