A conversation with Seattle
Mass & McDermott sounds like it could be an ABC odd-couple crime show from the ’80s — who didn’t love the hijinks of Hardcastle & McCormick? — but in fact the duo here are meteorologists pushing for better math curricula in Seattle’s public schools. Continue reading Seattle’s Meteorologist “Math Squad” Pushes for Better Math Textbooks
“Scrapping the district’s mandated math textbook” has to be the most controversial move–Rosenthal allows that it’s “the most talked about”–given that Mercer Middle School hadn’t been given permission to do it. They went rogue. It’s kind of a big deal. When the Seattle Weekly was attempting to explain why school board members hung onto their positions in the last election, they pointed to Mercer Middle School’s test scores. Continue reading Whoops! Discovery Math Wasn’t Key to Mercer Middle School’s Success
As Seattle Times op-ed journalist Joni Balter also appears on KUOW, Mass challenged her on her op-ed (“A slow burn for worthy state students snubbed by the University of Washington”), arguing that from his personal knowledge and from speaking with the Dean of Admissions, the UW “does not reject strong straight A students–if someone with an A average gets rejected it is because there was an issue–easy classes, poor SATs scores, or the like.”
After the show, Mass’s producer emailed him a warning that if he went off-topic again, the segment would be terminated. Continue reading KUOW to Cliff Mass: If You Want to Speak Out, Get Lost