Mothers demonized in major Democrat city for condemning DEI in schools are now being hailed as heroes
Three suburban mothers, lifelong Democrats and active community members, found themselves at the center of controversy after voicing concerns about changes in their children's school district.
Their concerns, which surfaced in 2022, centered on shifts in academic DEI policies that they believed were harming students.
Vanessa Calagna, one of the mothers, spoke with Carey Goldberg of The Boston Globe, detailing the fallout after she began questioning the public school's approach to implementing DEI initiatives at the expense of her child's education.
For years, these mothers had been deeply involved in their community, volunteering in schools and working in fields such as international aid, mental health, and yoga instruction.
However, when Newton Public Schools introduced sweeping equity-focused policies—including restructuring honors courses into multilevel classes—they began asking questions publicly.
'At first, we were just trying to understand the drastic changes that took place while no one was in school during COVID,' Calagna told The Boston Globe. 'It was like we were trying to put a puzzle together. And then we were trying to ring the alarm.'
The district had pledged to dismantle structures it viewed as rooted in racism, aiming for 'more equitable outcomes for all students.'
As part of this effort, multilevel classes were introduced in subjects like math, science, and languages to address racial disparities in honors courses.
These changes placed students of varying skill levels in the same classrooms, with the goal of reducing historical inequities in academic opportunities.
Three suburban mothers, long-time Democrats and active community members, found themselves at the center of controversy after questioning changes in their children's school district
Newton mother Vanessa Calagna and others publicly questioned the school district's new equity-focused policies, including restructuring honors courses into multilevel classes
The three mothers, comparing notes, found that many parents shared their concerns. They worried that the new structure could hold back advanced students while failing to provide adequate support to others.
Additionally, they feared that the district's approach to equity overemphasized differences rather than fostering unity.
School Committee member Paul Levy, who campaigned in 2021 and spoke with over a thousand parents, told The Boston Globe that he estimated nearly 80 percent shared similar concerns. However, many were reluctant to speak out.
'Most painful to hear 'was that parents were saying, 'I don't dare talk about this, because if I do, I'll be called a racist,' Levy told the Boston Globe.
Determined to foster dialogue, the mothers and their allies—many of them also long-time liberals—spoke at School Committee meetings and penned letters.
Jany Finkielsztein, a Colombian immigrant and longtime educator, was among them, warning that the district's approach put ideology ahead of student needs.
She told The Boston Globe that she was particularly concerned that the changes did not address disparities at younger ages and could negatively impact high-achieving students.
In late 2022, the mothers and their supporters launched a petition to create an advisory panel giving parents more voice in academic decisions, modeled after a similar committee in Dedham.
In late 2022, the mothers petitioned for a parent advisory panel on academics and gained over 300 signatures
The petition gathered over 300 signatures but was met with fierce opposition.
Critics accused them of dog-whistling right-wing ideology, with social media comments labeling their movement as 'racism cloaked as academic excellence.'
PTO newsletters and the teachers' union opposed the petition, as did Families Organizing for Racial Justice, which claimed in an email that some petitioners 'challenge the need for any activities related to microaggressions, inclusion, respect, or belonging.'
By the time the School Committee voted in March 2023, the petition was effectively dead on arrival. None of the nine voting members supported it.
At a contentious four-hour meeting, a professor compared the mothers and their supporters to the white women who had historically upheld segregation.
Many speakers defended programs supporting students of color, even though the petition did not challenge them.
Some linked the petitioners to Parents Defending Education, a national group that has legally challenged DEI-related programs.
However, as of 2025, resistance to the district's policies has grown within the school system itself.
Many Newton teachers are openly criticizing the multilevel class structure, reporting that it is failing both struggling and advanced students.
'I've heard about multilevel classes from many, many parents over the last three years, and the feedback has been consistently negative,' School Committee member Rajeev Parlikar said at a November meeting.
Pictured: The public hearing in the Newton North High School cafeteria on March 28, 2023, at which school committee members voted against allowing a new advisory panel that would have given parents more say on academic issues
'I actually have not heard from a single parent who thought their child benefited from being in a multilevel class.'
Though Calagna and her closest allies have largely retreated from the public eye since their earlier backlash, other parents are now stepping in.
A new petition calling for the rollback of multilevel classes in math and science has garnered over 400 signatures.
Reflecting on the past two years, Calagna believes that had their group not been so vilified, these conversations could have happened sooner.
'We saw something not working, and it has been proven,' she told The Boston Globe. However, she and her allies struggled to counter labels such as 'racist' and 'right-winger' in their progressive community.
'We were really, truly three innocent moms just trying to get conversations going,' she told the publication, adding that if they had been funded by right-wing groups, as some alleged, 'maybe we would have done a better job.'
Even now, two of the mothers who worked with Calagna chose to remain anonymous, citing continued fear of social repercussions.
The controversy over Newton's DEI policies comes at a time when progressives are reflecting on whether 'cancel culture' and DEI overreach contributed to political shifts nationally.
Calagna, a mental health coach specializing in adolescent girls, said she became concerned about how identity-focused education was affecting teen mental health.
'At a time of rampant high anxiety and low social connection for teens, they are being taught that they need to be protected from anyone whose identity is different from theirs,' she told The Boston Globe. 'This is not how we make social change and progress.'
For one of her allies, the tipping point was watching her child, a math whiz, be denied the opportunity to accelerate and instead teach themselves from a textbook.
Another mother was disturbed by what she perceived as an 'oppressor vs. oppressed' narrative dominating the curriculum.
As they sought alternatives, the mothers connected with the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR), a national nonprofit that opposes identity politics and supports 'diversity without division.'
The controversy over Newton's DEI policies comes at a time when progressives are reflecting on whether 'cancel culture' and DEI overreach contributed to political shifts nationally
They hosted two events with FAIR speakers and proposed an alternative district values statement emphasizing 'common humanity.'
This connection further fueled accusations that they were right-wing operatives. While FAIR has been labeled 'anti-woke,' its positions on race-based policies have support across the political spectrum.
Even with the growing calls to revise the multilevel classes, Newton Superintendent Anna Nolin told The Boston Globe that undoing the system would take time.
She noted that the district lacked essential curriculum development and student assessment infrastructure when she took office in mid-2023.
Work is now underway to define academic levels and determine proper placements, beginning with math.
Additionally, Nolin has prioritized restoring parental trust, including launching an Office of Family Engagement.
'Parent attitudes toward the schools changed, and there was skepticism about how effective our methods were,' she told the Boston Globe.
'For whatever reason, they did not feel heard by the school system, and that is the cocktail that brought us this schism between 'equity' and 'excellence' groups.'
In fact, the district's existing tagline—'Equity & Excellence'—has become so divisive that it is being replaced. The new motto: 'Where All Children Thrive.'
