Our Mission…
To ensure that all Washington State students have an equal opportunity to compete successfully in the international economy by aligning Washington State math standards, assessments and curricula to those of top performing nations in the world.
Who We Are…
We are a non-partisan advocacy group of parents, educators, and community members who are working to ensure that Washington State mathematics education standards, curriculum, and assessments are coherent, academically focused, rigorous and comparable to those of top performing nations in the world.
We Believe…
Mathematics education must provide students with a balanced instructional program. In such a program students become proficient in computational and procedural skills, develop conceptual understanding, and become adept at problem solving.Mathematics achievement in America is far below what it should be and seriously lagging most countries in the world. Recent “reform” efforts only aggravate the problem. As a result, our children have less and less exposure to rigorous, content-rich mathematics.
The advocates of the new, fuzzy math have practiced their rhetoric well. They speak of higher-order thinking, conceptual understanding and solving problems, but they neglect the systematic mastery of the fundamental building blocks necessary for success in any of these areas. Their focus is on things like calculators, blocks, guesswork, and group activities and they shun things like algorithms and repeated practice. The new programs are shy on fundamentals and they also lack the mathematical depth and rigor that promotes greater achievement.
Concerned parents are in a state of dismay and have begun efforts to restore content, rigor, and genuinely high expectations to mathematics education. This site provides relevant background and information for parents, teachers, board members and the public.
Where’s The Math? Executive Committee:
Professor Clifford F. Mass, Cliff Mass is a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. He has a B.S. in Physics and a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, and specializes in numerical weather prediction and the weather of the western U.S. http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~cliff/cliffpage2.html
Bob Dean holds a BA in Mathematics from California State University at Long Beach and a MA in Teaching from Grand Canyon University. He has taught high school math for 18 years and has 17 years experience in the home building industry. Bob is heavily involved in math education issues and has studied the education systems of numerous countries, including observing the Mukonoso high school in Amagaski, Hyogo Japan. Bob has testified before the WA State Legislature several times and has published numerous op-ed articles about math education. He was a presenter to the WA State Legislature and the WA Association of School Administrators and selected to be on the WA State Math Standards Revision Team. He is currently the math department chair at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, WA, and serves on the WA State Math Advisory Panel.
Richard Burke is lifetime Seattle resident and active parent of 3 students in Seattle Public Schools. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, and is the Vice President of Measurement Technology NW, Inc., specializing in the design and manufacture of dynamic heat transfer instrumentation. Richard’s volunteer work in education includes PTA Co-President at North Beach Elementary, serving on Seattle School District’s Math Adoption Committee, and past member of Washington State Board of Education Math Panel.
Elliot Paull has over 30 years on industry and consulting experience. Elliot has worked for Microsoft for nine years and currently he is a Director in Microsoft’s emerging online services business. Prior to that, he worked for A.T. Kearney (a management consulting firm), Digital Equipment and General Electric. Elliot has B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and his MBA from Boston University. He has been lay leader in Bellevue synagogue for 14 years. Elliot and his wife Sally have lived in Issaquah for 20 years and been involved in the Issaquah School District raising two children, both now in college. Elliot has led Where’s The Math efforts with the Washington State Legislature, especially HB1906 in 2007 and SB6534 in 2008; both dealing with math standards and curriculum.
Barbara Chen holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University and has career experience in the stock brokerage industry and in hotel construction. She has spent time living and working in Japan and China, and is now a professional sculptor and mother of a second grader in the Richland School District. Barbara serves as a parent and community representative on the Richland School District’s Math Adoption Committee and as a board member and two-term treasurer of her PTA. An active child advocate on math issues both locally and at the state level, Barbara received a WSPTA “Outstanding Advocate” award in June, 2008.
Lyng Wong has lived in the four corners of the United States and the “Heartland of America” before deciding to settle and live in Washington state 12 years ago. Prior to having children Lyng worked in the bar coding industry and acted as the company liaison to standards setting committees for various industries. Currently, she is a full-time stay at home parent to her three elementary school-aged children. She is active in community affairs and has participated as a PTA board member and parent volunteer at her children’s schools. Lyng has a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a Bachelor’s in Psychology.
Bob Brandt, WTM co-founder, earned a BA in Computer Science at UCLA and worked in industry for over twenty years. He returned to school at Stanford earning a Master’s in education and taught in the Palo Alto Schools for seven years before retiring to the Seattle area. He and his wife have four children and two grandchildren who will soon be entering the Issaquah School District schools. Bob is a member of the State Math Advisory Panel and has also been selected to participate in the selection of k-8 math curriculae for the state of Washington. He and his wife are two of the cofounders of Where’s The Math.
Laura Brandt, WTM Co-founder, earned a BS in Computer Science at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and worked in the aerospace industry and computer industry for 15 years. She has spent the past 30 years raising her four children and now spends time with her two grandchildren. She and her husband are co-founders of Where’s the Math?
Julie Wright, WTM Co-founder, is a former elementary teacher and director of finance for a law firm. She is currently executive director of Fast Track Math, a math tutoring company. She earned a BS from Brigham Young University with a major in Elementary Education and an extra major skill in Statistics. She has 5 children ranging from elementary school to college and over the past 10 years has volunteered in the schools to help students in reading and math. She has served as PTA legislative chair in each of her children’s schools and co-chairs WTM’s legislative efforts, working extensively with legislators and policy makers to improve Washington State’s math standards and curricula.
