Located in Weston, Massachusetts, the Cambridge School of Weston (CSW) is a day and boarding school for high school students. With a mission of providing a progressive education, CSW strives to incorporate in-depth academic learning, meaningful relationships, and opportunities for personal discovery in one educational institution.
Unique in many ways, CSW stands out as the first independent school in the United States to include social justice in its graduation requirements. CSW points to this requirement as evidence of its institutional commitment to integrating a global perspective and sense of social responsibility into its curriculum. The social justice requirement aims to challenge students to engage in meaningful action. To this end, students are encouraged to explore multiple perspectives on social issues and various models of social change.
Under the social justice requirement, students must complete at least 10 classes that reflect the diversity and complexity of the modern world in order to qualify for graduation. With more than 80 approved courses, CSW gives students a wide range of choices to fulfill the requirement. The approved courses span all of the school’s departments and include topics such as “African Epics from the Oral Tradition,” “Cultural Studies in Dance,” “Discovering India,” “Latinx Literature,” “Social and Political Theatre,” and “Topics in Jazz History,” among others. While many of the classes in the social justice requirement incorporate a global perspective, others concentrate on understanding the complex and often inequitable history of the United States, with class topics such as “US Native Americans” and “US Jailhouse Nation: History of Crime, Punishment, and Mass Incarceration.”
All of the courses approved for the social justice graduation requirement meet three core criteria. First, the courses examine historical and contemporary issues from the perspectives of historically oppressed groups, such as people of color and other marginalized people. Second, the courses invite students to reflect on societal structures of power and privilege, how they came to be, and their current effects on society. Lastly, the courses teach students about models for social change through the lens of advancing human rights.
In addition to the curriculum offerings, CSW holds an annual event called Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Day. Established in 1975 in memory of Michael Feldman, a member of the class of 1967, the event serves as a permanent memorial to a CSW alumnus who was known for being socially conscious and highly motivated to achieve social justice. Each year, Social Justice Day welcomes thought-provoking guest speakers and invites students to explore varying perspectives on current social and legal issues through debate and discussion.
CSW students take an active role in selecting the focus of the event, preparing informational materials, and educating the wider CSW community about the year’s chosen topic. Past Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Days have highlighted topics such as unfair labor practices, water privatization, and the impact of consumerism.
CSW also offers students a variety of social justice-focused affinity groups, clubs, and organizations. After completing their education, CSW graduates have developed the critical thinking skills and empathy necessary to overcome cultural divides and join with their fellow humans to build a more just world.
