@TheOneTrueGus profile picture
Gus Mattammal @TheOneTrueGus

Educator and Businessman currently serving on the Midcoast Community Council and running for CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Joined September 2021
  • Tweets 923
  • Following 289
  • Followers 248
31 Photos and videos
Is it fair to force kids to go to a school that doesn't educate them? Here are my thoughts on school choice *within* the public school system, courtesy of the folks at @SvOpportunity opportunitynowsv.org/blog/fa…

Failing public schools ruin children’s lives. Why won’t California expand school choice? — OPPORT...

A bad school district is like a jail sentence, sometimes literally, as many students either drop out or get caught up in the juvenile justice system. So says Superintendent of Public Instruction...

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Should math "equity" mean less math, or *more* math? Check out this excerpt of my book, courtesy of the amazing team at @SvOpportunity! opportunitynowsv.org/blog/do…

☆ Does math “equity” in high school lead to income subtraction for Black students? — OPPORTUNITY NOW

If you want higher income, it’s more important to study math in high school than to graduate high school. That’s from two separate studies, and it’s reason enough to keep standards high, says...

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Should we have an education system that produces jobs, or a jobs program that produces education? Catch me on Jon Slavet's State of Gold podcast! stateofgold.substack.com/p/h…
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Watch my interview with John Fensterwald at EdSource! And CA folks: remember to vote Gus for Us for Superintendent of Public Instruction! edsource.org/2026/video-qa-g…

Video Q&A: Gus Mattammal, candidate for state superintendent of public instruction

Gus Mattamal was the only kid on his block to graduate from high school. Now director of a test-prep company, he credits his parents for changing his education trajectory.

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The folks at @SvOpportunity asked me to weigh in on candidate-for-governor Matt Mahan's proposal for government accountability. There's a lot to like, and a lot of hard political realities it will crash up against: opportunitynowsv.org/blog/ma…

Mattammal: seeking accountable state spending, a Gov. Mahan would “quickly learn the limits of his...

Sacramento’s supermajority won’t now all of a sudden “start getting behind accountability and transparency,” says Gus Mattammal , candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction . While he lauds...

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Huge thanks to the folks at @SvOpportunity for publishing this excerpt of my book. This one explores why California's reading scores are so low. Hint: choices play a big role, and those choices are political, not policy, choices opportunitynowsv.org/blog/th…

There’s a proven way to boost CA students’ reading scores. Why do schools resist it? — OPPORTUNITY...

A corrosive teaching fad that made children bad at reading has long since been debunked, says Gus Mattammal in his education policy book A is for Average . But California has been slow to replace it...

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Thanks so much to @SvOpportunity for publishing this excerpt from my book: it's on whether "grading for equity" actually does anything to promote equity. opportunitynowsv.org/blog/-s…

☆ Silicon Valley has a “staggeringly unequal” school system. Can “Grading for Equity” solve it? —...

California’s schools promise every student a quality education, yet that’s belied by dismal disparities between districts and racial groups. So says Gus Mattammal , author of A i s for Average , who...

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@marcjoffe you might like this bit, given your tweet this morning!
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I know my message about our schools is hard for my many Democratic friends to hear from me, so here's the same basic message coming from the head of a Democratic group: washingtonpost.com/opinions/…

Opinion | America faces an education depression. Why are Democrats silent?

The party has focused on defending institutions instead of empowering families.

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Now *this* is a MoMa I could spend all day in... nytimes.com/2026/03/08/scien…

MoMath Brings Prime Numbers to a Prime New Location

After outgrowing its original home, the National Museum of Mathematics has added new exhibits and an art gallery space in what was an empty storefront along the Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan.

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A massive transit tax will be on your ballot in November. You would be wise to learn about it before you decide to vote for it. Here's a great start: shiftbayarea.substack.com/p/…
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No one is forcing anyone to out anyone, and Sen. Wiener knows it. The court's ruling invalidates a CA law *prohibiting* teachers from communicating with parents, but it does not require it. Parents are not our enemies; they are our allies. Child abuse and neglect are and always will be illegal in CA. #StopDisinformation
Senator Scott Wiener@Scott_Wiener
Mar 3
Forcing teachers to out LGBTQ students to their parents puts kids’ lives at risk. Some will die. Some will get kicked out & become homeless. Some will be sent to conversion therapy. The choice to come out to one’s parents belongs only to the kid & is no one else’s damn business.
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Appreciate @SvOpportunity for helping amplify SHIFT-Bay Area's message about the deficiencies of Plan Bay Area 2050 . We need government to start making some hard choices, not just asking taxpayers for more money... opportunitynowsv.org/blog/pl…

Plan Bay Area promises the Moon. It could just be a costly way to hurt Planet Earth. — OPPORTUNITY...

To fix housing, transit, the economy, and the environment, unelected regional bodies are pushing through Plan Bay Area 2050 . But in a recent Substack post, SHIFT-Bay Area argues the scheme is based...

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Great time last night talking to the local dad's group about how we can improve our schools!
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Learn more about what you can do to help at votegus.org/

Vote Gus

Gus Mattammal for California Superintendent of Public Instruction: Help Gus bring back excellence in education for California's kids!

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Newsom's "960 SAT" comments were not only offensive, but emblematic of the low expectations that have defined California's education system for years. Read my full statement below.
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Weighed in on Bay Area policy.. big thanks to @SvOpportunity for the opportunity! opportunitynowsv.org/blog/-r…

☆ Ring: is CA’s resilience masking decay? Mattammal highlights failures in education and transpor...

Edward Ring says California may remain robust for now, but warns an ideological extremist could win the race for governor. Meanwhile, A is for Average author Gus Mattammal says voters are “blown...

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Governor Newsom, who can't do his own job well, is trying to take over the Dept of Education. I have lots of thoughts about that. You can read them here: californiaglobe.com/fr/gover…
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On MLK day, note that for Black students: - In LA Unified, only 36% meet reading standards, only 25% meet math - In SF Unified, it's 19% reading, 11% math - In SD Unified, 35% reading, 20% math - In Oakland Unified, 21% reading, 14% math Was this Dr. King's dream?
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I'm up against a bunch of establishment candidates, the very people who helped ensure the results above. I understand we live in a tough time politically, but if you find these results appalling, then vote Gus for Us when your ballot arrives in May.
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And while you're at it, tell everyone you know to do the same. That's the only way this changes. The only way.
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