About

David Farbman, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant

Through a 25-year career in education research and policy, together with the experience of serving in multiple roles as a lay leader for several non-profit organizations, David has developed a broad skill set related to crafting, executing, measuring, and documenting successful programs and initiatives.

Advancing Public School Reform

After earning a Ph.D. in American History at Brown, writing a dissertation that explored high school culture in the postwar years, David began his career as a researcher at two non-profits focused on boosting the capacity of schools and educators to deliver world-class education to our nation’s schools. In 2001, David began his 15-year tenure at the National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL) as Research Director/Senior Researcher. In this role, he led over 150 reviews of schools to document effective practices, identify areas for growth, and establish cycles of continuous improvement. He also conducted a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research on instructional and organizational practices, including the creation of a tool to track school time that has been used by every school in Oklahoma and hundreds of other schools across the country. Over the course of his time at NCTL, David wrote and published over 20 reports and articles analyzing how to catalyze educational excellence, such as his landmark report The Case for More Time, and co-authoring Time for Teachers.

Focusing on Growth in Jewish Education

In 2016 David joined Gateways: Access to Jewish Education as the Director of the Center for Professional Learning, and then the Senior Director for Education, where he oversaw all direct service and professional development programs Gateways offers. In those roles, David developed new ways of engaging with both Jewish day schools and supplemental schools, emphasizing the impact that coaching and other forms of professional support can have on strengthening of instructional practices. He also managed the B’Yadenu Initiative, funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation, a multi-city effort to boost the capacity of day schools to educate students with learning challenges.

Serving the Broader Community

Outside of his professional responsibilities, David has served in various roles on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations, including stints as president of the board of directors at Camp Ramah New England and Temple Aliyah, and head of strategic planning for Yad Chessed. In each of these volunteer experiences, David sought to bring his analytical skills and focus on defining and achieving outcomes to hold both fellow lay leaders and professionals accountable to the organization’s mission.

Partnering with You

David formed Atid Strategies in 2022 to bring his perspective, experience, and proven methods for supporting schools and other organizations to explore possibilities, to define their goals carefully, to craft programs and projects to execute effectively on those goals, and to devise straightforward systems for tracking progress.

Arlene Remz
Associate

Arlene Remz has a unique perspective on non-profit leadership and governance, having served as both a professional and a lay leader. Arlene was the founding Executive Director of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education which she led for 17 years before her retirement in 2020. Before and throughout the years of leading Gateways, Arlene was an active lay leader in the Jewish community, and served in various roles on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations. She was the President of the Board of Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston at a critical time in the school’s history. She is currently a trustee and Chair of Strategic Planning and Implementation for Schools for Children and a trustee and Chair of Governance for BaMidbar. Since her retirement from Gateways, Arlene has worked as a mentor, coach and/or consultant for several non-profits, foundations and projects.

Throughout her four-decade career, Arlene created educational opportunities that engage, inspire and support students with a wide range of learning needs and styles. She holds an M.Ed. from Columbia University in Technology in Education and an M.A. in Special Education from New York University, and spent her early career as a special education teacher in Massachusetts and New York. She then worked at Education Development Center (EDC) for 15 years, on a series of research, curriculum development, and dissemination projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. Throughout the years that she was working professionally in the field of special education, Arlene was an active lay leader in the Boston Jewish community.

In 2006 Arlene established Gateways as a merger of two smaller grassroots organizations. She led Gateways through 15 years of significant growth, collaborating with day schools, congregational schools and preschools throughout the Boston community to enable students with diverse learning needs to succeed in Jewish educational settings. Arlene is recognized as a national leader in the field of Jewish special education and inclusion.

Arlene and her husband Sandy live in Newton, MA. Her adult children live in New York City and Tel Aviv, and her two granddaughters live in Tel Aviv.