Our Story & Impact

At a Title I school on the southside of San Antonio, an AP® Stats teacher threw out his curriculum and made lessons on topics his students actually cared about: gerrymandering, medicine, online dating, sports, and more. That year, in a region where traditionally 2% of students passed the AP® exam, 42% of his students passed.

The teacher created skewthescript.org (named after their class motto) and posted the lessons online for free. Within weeks, thousands of teachers across the country were using them. Now, Skew The Script is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers free, nonpartisan, relevant math lessons for AP Statistics, Algebra I, and Algebra II (with more courses coming soon). Our mission:

Mission

Provide free, nonpartisan, relevant math lessons that…

  1. Boost math engagement and achievement among students from underserved backgrounds

  2. Prepare all students to think critically as citizens

Our Reach

Teachers

20,000

Students

400,000

Lesson Downloads

300,000

Lesson Video Views

1 Million

Page Views

2.5 Million

Learn More:

Approach

No one cares about the time it takes to fill up a swimming pool of a certain volume. No one cares about the correlation between hand width and height. No one cares, genuinely cares, about the contexts that fill the pages of most math textbooks. The result: Students disengage. They learn math at a shallow level. Worst of all, they leave school unprepared to apply quantitative reasoning to the complex problems of the real world. We decided to change that.

We make lessons that are …

  • Relevant: Our lessons tackle authentic problems with real data and real implications. The math isn’t a side-show. Rather, the math helps students gain genuine insight into the topics our lessons cover.

  • Usable: Our materials are intuitive and aligned with state standards, allowing teachers to easily place our lessons in their unit plans.

  • Nonpartisan: Our goal is to heighten students’ discourse and reasoning as citizens - not to impose our own beliefs on them. Lessons are reviewed by a committee of politically diverse math teachers for balance and fairness. Read more in our letter to parents.

As seen in…

Our Team

Dashiell Young-Saver

Founder & CEO

  • While teaching at a Title 1 school on the southside of San Antonio, Dash threw out his traditional AP® Statistics curriculum and created lessons on topics his students cared about: voter power, food deserts, the Spurs’s chance at winning the NBA title, online dating, and more. That year, in a region where traditionally 2% of students passed the AP® exam, 42% of his students passed.

    Borrowing from his class motto of “skew the script,” Dashiell created this website and posted his lessons online for free. Now, he leads Skew The Script’s efforts to provide relevant math lessons to classrooms across the country.

    Dashiell still teaches part-time in San Antonio and writes math lessons for The New York Times. He holds a BA and master’s in Data Science from Harvard.

  • Please email our general contact address: contact@skewthescript.org. In your email, mention that Dashiell is the intended recipient.

Nichole Wells

Curriculum Specialist

  • Niki Wells is a Chicago-based high school math teacher and curriculum writer, who has taught everything from algebra to ztatistics (A-Z joke). Raised in a military family, Niki grew up traveling the country. They spent their college years in Alabama training future astronauts and Space Camp students.

    Niki discovered Skew The Script while searching online for engaging teaching material. They implemented the lessons, and their students loved them. Now, in addition to teaching and writing curriculum for Chicago Public Schools, Niki provides key advising to Skew The Script on new curriculum projects.

  • Please email our general contact address: contact@skewthescript.org. In your email, mention that Nichole is the intended recipient.

Olivia Gladstone

Chief Operating Officer

  • Olivia has spent the last six years in education, either teaching middle school math or assisting school districts with curriculum development. In 2020, she became Skew The Script’s first board member. In her current role as COO, Olivia manages Skew The Script’s operations, fundraising, outreach, and teacher training. She is an alumni of TFA San Antonio and holds degrees from Brandeis University (bachelor’s in business) and Johns Hopkins University (master’s in education).

  • Please email our general contact address: contact@skewthescript.org. In your email, mention that Olivia is the intended recipient.

Matt DiSorbo

Curriculum Writer (Algebra)

  • Matt met Dashiell in college, where the two bonded over their shared passion of math pedagogy (and intramural volleyball). Matt has taught multiple math & statistics courses and has written a popular online probability textbook (entitled "Probability!"). At Skew The Script, Matt took the lead in creating the site's relevant Algebra I and Algebra II lessons. He is currently pursuing his PhD at Harvard, with a focus in data science.

  • Please email our general contact address: contact@skewthescript.org. In your email, mention that Matt is the intended recipient.

Aden Gonzales

Curriculum Associate (Algebra)

  • As an AP Statistics student at Masterman High School in Philadelphia, Aden experienced several Skew The Script lessons and felt inspired by the relevant approach to teaching math. She reached out to the organization to see if she could help contribute. Now, Aden creates lesson materials for the Algebra I and Algebra II curriculum. Aden currently attends Yale University. After graduating, she hopes to return to Philadelphia to teach (relevant) high school math.

  • Please email our general contact address: contact@skewthescript.org. In your email, mention that Aden is the intended recipient.

Our Contributors

Skew The Script’s lessons, videos, activities, special projects, and teacher training workshops would not be possible without the work and dedication from many experts in a variety of fields: math instruction, school leadership, curriculum design, video production, and machine learning.

    • Arabella White: Math Instructor at Phoenix Digital Academy, collaborator on Desmos

    • Christopher Pinto: Curriculum Manager at Accelerate Learning Inc., collaborator on Algebra I/II videos

    • Danny Hill: Teacher: AP Statistics & AP Pre-Calculus Instructor at Belton High School, Teacher Review Committee

    • Donald Marshall: Math Instructor at Bullis School, collaborator on Desmos

    • Elisa Oliver: Instructional Leadership Coach at Skyrocket Education, collaborator on SkewU Online

    • Gerald Kosoff: AP Statistics, AP Calculus BC & AP PreCalculus Instructor at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, collaborator on SkewU Online

    • Ivonne Martinez: Machine Learning Consultant, collaborator on Data Science Bootcamps

    • Jade Flores-Henderson: Lecturer at California State University at Channel Islands, collaborator on Algebra I/II materials

    • Jessica Schenkel: Math Instructor & Department Chair at Porter-Gaud School, collaborator on Algebra I/II materials & SkewU

    • Joel Bezaire: Algebra I Instructor at University School of Nashville, collaborator on Desmos

    • Juan Gomez: Math & Advanced Placement Statistics Instructor at Carmel High School, collaborator on Desmos

    • Kevin Bartkovich: Math Instructor at Phillips Exeter Academy, collaborator on SkewU

    • Kevin McSorley: Math, Engineering, and Computer Science Instructor at San Rafael High School, collaborator on Desmos

    • Lydia Allen: Math Instructor at Walter M. Williams High School, collaborator on Algebra I/II materials

    • Mahmoud Harding: Director of Instructional Design at Data Science 4 Everyone, collaborator on the After the AP Data Science Challenge

    • Maqui Goana: Multimedia Producer, collaborator on Algebra I/II videos

    • Maria Morales: Former Secondary Mathematics Instructor at East Side High School, collaborator on Algebra I/II materials

    • Mark Krans: Math & Physics Instructor at Concord Carlisle High School, collaborator on AP Stats materials

    • Meghan Doebler: Math Instructor at Rancho Cucamonga High School, collaborator on Algebra I/II videos & Data Science challenge trailer

    • Meredith Kempson: High School Math Instructor, collaborator on Algebra I/II materials

    • Paul Buckley: Math Department Chair at Gonzaga College High School, Teacher Review Committee

    • Sharon Sterken: Math Instructor at EA Laney High School, collaborator on Desmos

    • Stevie (Bowden) Fuller: Administrative Intern at Corona del Mar High School & Data Science Consultant for the Student Achievement Partners, collaborator on Desmos

    • Taylor Kockenmeister: Math Content Specialist at EdPuzzle, collaborator on Algebra I/II & NY Times collaboration

Our Board

Julia Koschinsky

  • Julia Koschinsky discovered Skew The Script while looking for solutions to better integrate scientific reasoning with spatial data science education. After trying the lessons at the University of Chicago's Data4All High School Bridge Workshop, she was hooked and started working with students to help extend one of Skew The Script's spatial lessons. She works as the Executive Director and Senior Research Associate of the University of Chicago's Center for Spatial Data Science.

  • David serves as Development Manager at Weston Urban, where he is focused on real estate development in downtown San Antonio. He joined Weston Urban from Blueprint Local, a firm investing in real estate development to promote long-term, inclusive economic growth. Prior to Blueprint Local, David worked at Admiral Capital Group's efforts to make a strong social impact in the cities where the firm invests. David was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

David Robinson Jr.

Sam Rosenbloom

  • Sam is a third-year law student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Politics. Before embarking on his legal career, Sam taught high school math in his hometown of San Antonio through Teach For America. While teaching at KIPP: University Prep, Sam met Dash. Through teaching in the same department, Sam witnessed Dash's innovative statistics curriculum and transformative classroom environment.

  • Azucena has worked in various industries including analytical instrumentation, rapid prototyping and advanced materials research and development. Along the way, she went to UT's Executive MBA program for her Masters in Business Administration. Although she enjoyed working with various technologies, she found her career to be even more rewarding when she became a math teacher. Azucena loves working with students and helping them see the power and beauty of mathematics.

Azucena Overman

Omar Akhil

  • A New Mexican native, Omar Akhil now considers himself a San Antonian through and through. He established himself as an entrepreneur whose passion for finance and education has led him to start and manage two local small businesses. Omar started his education company Brainiac LLC to help children, K-12th grade, by providing at home one-on-one tutoring. Additionally, he established his private wealth management firm Vaulkshire Investment Advisors in 2015 to independently manage his clients’ assets. In the evenings and weekends, Omar continues to work with students and train mentors, specifically focusing on helping children develop better critical thinking skills. He also enjoys helping other entrepreneurs with their startups and connecting people to facilitate collaboration to strengthen the San Antonio community and accelerate its economy.

What students and teachers are saying …

  • “Skew The Script answers my students’ most-asked question of 'when are we ever going to use this?' The lessons make coming to class FUN, for students and myself! Students also gain a deeper understanding by using real-world data to make sense of the math."

    Monique Boston, Algebra I/II teacher, Poly Prep Country Day School

  • “Sure, the lessons helped me understand math better. But they also made me realize that I can use math and data to dig deep into real issues – stuff I actually care about. That’s when I decided to go to college and to major in data science.”

    Julius Cervantes, former San Antonio ISD student and current first-generation college student at UTSA

  • "I have been using Skew The Script for a while, and I just want to say that it is hands down the best educational resource I have used as a math teacher in 20 years of teaching. You are my hero!!"

    Tiffany Thiri, math teacher, Northfield Mount Hermon

  • "The integration of relevant issues into the lessons made each topic more compelling for me, which really helped me internalize the content (I earned a 5 on the AP Exam). Now, my goal is to combat health inequities through applying data science to healthcare."

    Jason Chen, former Saline HS student, currently at Northwestern studying data science and neuroscience

  • "The materials and resources helped teachers in our department rethink math instruction. It has also helped us work with teachers from other departments in shaping the relevant discussions that emerge from the math."

    Alex Kmicikewycz, Assistant Principal , Chicago Public Schools

  • “I was making connections between my statistics lessons and what we were learning in civics class the period before. It was fun, engaging, and an experience that I hope more students get to have. "

    Aden Gonzales, former Philadelphia School District student and current student at Yale