ABOUT

Proximal Path is led by Steven Weiss, a California-based educator, researcher, and systems-thinker with decades of experience at every level of the school system—from the bilingual classroom to site administration.

Steven's Approach

I believe that content knowledge is only one part of the story. The real work is helping students to develop content understandings and disciplinary language in tandem. At Proximal Path, I serve as a partner for districts and school leaders, helping them move beyond fragmented initiatives toward a coherent approach for their multilingual learners.

Strategic Contributions to the Field

I have dedicated my career to bridging the gap between research and policy, contributing to the design of foundational frameworks and leadership initiatives used to guide instructional practice and systemic reform:

• Policy Development: Collaborated on the creation of the California English Learner Roadmap.

• Instructional Design: Co-authored the white paper, Principles for the Design of Mathematics Curricula and Mathematics Language Routines.

• Systemic Leadership: Co-facilitated state-wide Communities of Practice for Long Term English Learners.

• Professional Learning: Co-developed Academic Language online modules for the California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration to scale effective instructional routines across diverse school systems.

(Links to these and other publications can be found on my Linkedin profile)

Current Work & Research

In addition to my consulting practice, I serve as a Senior Program Associate at the Center to Support Excellence in Teaching (CSET) within the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

This role allows me to stay at the leading edge of instructional and leadership research, which I translate into practical, systemic strategies for the leadership teams I coach—from local California districts to community college globalization projects and international innovation teams in Hong Kong.