NPS Curriculum presentation, Mar. 3, 2026, slide 2
The day after an important budget meeting, Newton Public Schools (NPS) offered a detailed presentation about what is at stake for the curriculum if the schools budget cannot be augmented or significantly reworked.
The meeting was initiated by members of the School Committee who had requested a Brown Bag Lunch on the topic of curricular initiatives. Dr. Gina Flanagan, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning led most of the presentation with additional material from Dr. David Kloker, Director of English Language Arts and Literacy PK-12, and Liz Butler Everitt, Director of Science, Technology & Engineering PK-12. Also in attendance were Dr. Anna Nolin, Superintendent; Allison Levit, Director of English Language Learners Program; Ayesha Farag, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education; Alicia Piedalue, School Committee Chair; and School Committee members Arrianna Proia and Ben Schlesinger.
Overview
Dr. Gina Flanagan framed her work on the NPS curricular review cycle with her thirty years of experience in five states, where every other district had a well-defined curriculum review process. She noted that the Newton teachers were doing an amazing job considering they were receiving scant support, resources, or oversight from the central office. She said that while the curricular review process was a bit shocking at first to many district employees because of its newness, she has seen a lot more comfort with it in the past year as people realize its value.
Both Dr. Flanagan and Dr. Nolin framed the curricular work that the district has to do in terms of Massachusetts history. In the 1980s, teachers in every district made up all their own lessons. In 1993, the Department of Education wrote the original statewide standards. In the late 1990s-early 2000s, cities and towns were still working out how their curricula should respond to the state standards. Because of lack of…