Dr. Peter Cushing Brings Diverse Education Background To Medford

MEDFORD, MA — It was a little more than a decade ago when Peter Cushing, then 30 years old, decided that he wanted to move into a school leadership position after beginning his education career as a teacher in Lynn and Arlington. The recently named assistant superintendent of schools for Medford Public Schools applied to any opening he could find and one day got a call back about interviewing for the vice principal role at Narragansett Regional High School.

"They asked me if I knew where it was and I said: 'Absolutely,'" he recalled. "Then I hung up the phone and started wondering why I had applied to a school in Rhode Island."

Only Narragansett Regional is in Baldwinville — a small village of about 2,000 residents 65 miles northwest of Boston. Cushing moved to Fitchburg, then a bit farther east down Route 2 to Ayer, but stayed in North Central Massachusetts for a decade at Narragansett as a vice principal and then principal. This year, he served as principal at Bartlett High School.

Now, Cushing is hoping to take his 20 years of educational experience and lessons learned from managing the challenges of small, rural school districts to improve Medford 's education experience for students and faculty.

"I am very excited and happy to serve in a district like Medford," he said. "It’s going to be a humbling experience and I look forward to the opportunity."

Cushing, a Lynn native who earned his bachelor’s degree in politics from Saint Anselm College before attending Boston College for his master’s degree and doctorate in education, said he views his role in Medford as supporting the vision of Superintendent Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent and helping the teachers in the district cut through any red tape so that their needs in the classroom are met.

He said one of the focuses of his career has been student equity and that he is looking to bring some of what has worked for him at Narragansett and Bartlett to Medford.

"That is something that really being identified across the state right now as a priority," he said. "We want to make sure all students have access to a challenging and rigorous curriculum. How do you get those high-flying students and high-performers in those challenging, honors classes? Then how do you keep them exposed to their peers who might be struggling in a way where everyone can benefit and find ways to learn better?"

Cushing succeeds Deputy Superintendent Beverly Nelson, who retired in June 2018.