Cambridge Public Schools Commitment to Equity
The primary responsibility of the Office of Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (OEIB) is to uplift and advance the district’s mission and strategy to be an anti-racist, equitable, and inclusive school district. OEIB provides leadership, professional development, student support, family engagement opportunities and various resources to stakeholders to eliminate racial, cultural and socio-economic opportunity gaps. The Office also leads district-wide equity initiatives and supports school-based equity initiatives as well as those created in collaboration with educators, students, and caregivers. Established in 2021, the Building Equity Bridges (BEB) Project inspired the creation of the OEIB and paved the way for the district to more deeply explore how to achieve our vision of an anti-racist school district while providing the social, emotional, and academic supports each students needs to achieve their goals and post-secondary success.
CPS Definitions of Equity and Racial Equity
In 2019, the Administration and School Committee adopted definitions of equity and racial equity.
Equity means that each student, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or socioeconomic status will have access to the opportunities, resources, and support they need to attain their full potential.
Racial Equity means the absence of institutional and structural barriers experienced by people based on race or color, that impede access, opportunities, and results.
Achieving racial equity requires proactive and continuous investment in communities of color, who have endured centuries of systemic oppression. CPS is committed to dismantling structures rooted in white privilege, to hearing and elevating underrepresented voices, and recognizing and eliminating bias. |
In 2020, the former Superintendent, Kenneth Salim, and the School Committee formally made commitments to advance equity and racial equity and accelerate Cambridge Public Schools’ efforts to become an antiracist school district. As part of a community-driven process to understand root causes of inequity in CPS (the Building Equity Bridges Project), it was recommended that CPS establish districtwide antiracist vision and mission statements.
CPS Antiracist Vision Statement & Mission Statements
In 2020-21, the Vision & Mission statements were developed through a community engagement process that involved a diverse group of educators, youth, families, administrators, and community stakeholders, including many individuals who identify as people of color.
On June 15, 2021, the Cambridge School Committee
adopted these statements. (Watch the
School Committee’s discussion (June 15, 2021, timestamp: 2:38:11.))
CPS Anti-racist Vision Statement
All CPS scholars thrive, are empowered and are liberated through an education, learning experiences, and spaces that are antiracist.
CPS Anti-Racist Mission Statement
On the journey to becoming an anti-racist school district, the CPS community actively uplifts and collectively holds each other accountable to equitably support our young people and families. We center the voices and prioritize the needs of youth, families, and educators of color with antiracist decisions, practices, and policies to dismantle historical oppression and to support learning spaces where all students are known, celebrated, empowered, and thrive.
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