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Washington state is a lot like Massachusetts, but they wonder why our schools are so much better
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Anti-intelectualism
That doesn't help, either. Eastern Washington is a red state that doesn't much value education.
Comparing Western Washington to MA would be a closer comparison.
I think you forgot what
I think you forgot what Western Mass is like.
Is there another western MA?
Because the one I know voted heavily for Sanders and has places like Amherst and Northampton.
Or perhaps you're like many Bostonians and things "western MA" starts at 495? Because Worcester County has overtaken the Cape as our Republican stronghold.
Amherst and Northampton are Central Mass
Savoy, Great Barrington, and North Adams are Western Mass.
Not that it matters -- once you go West of the CT river the state is solidly Blue.
Eh once you get close to NY,
Eh once you get close to NY, it starts turning red again.
Also Adam, Western MA has Ahmerst and Noho, but don't forget Springfield and Holyoke. Hillary won both handily.
No it doesn't
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Massachus...
By way of example
I disagree
I lived in Amherst for 4 years. Everyone called it Western Massachusetts. No one called in Central Massachusetts.
Confirmed
Western MA starts when you get even with the Quabbin and start dropping down into the Valley.
Central MA is basically from the Quabbin to I-495
YMMV but is wrong if different than mine.
Area Code 413
Bingo
Wendell?
I'd argue that Wendell is a Western MA / Valley town. Belchertown and Athol/Orange are border towns. Not sure Warick really exists, probably just woods and cellar holes.
Incorrect
Because I am from Western Mass, I have to correct you on this one. Amherst and Northampton are Western Mass. They are part of the Pioneer Valley, which is in Western Mass. The Berkshires are also Western Mass, but just part of it. Pretty much anything past Palmer is Western Mass.
Wrong. Worcester and its
Wrong. Worcester and its surrounds are Central Mass. Quabbin, Amherst, Pelham, NoHo, and so forth are in Western Mass. The geographical Western Mass you're thinking about is called Berkshires.
Quabbin is Central MA
Or at least my friends that are from there consider themselves in "Central MA"
To be clear though
that's our water in the reservoir, not theirs...
instate imperialism is fun.
Western and Central MA voted for Trump too.
Although most of MA did, but wealthy educated towns did not for the most part. (They voted for Kasich)
Not all Bostonians think that.
To me, Western Mass starts when you cross the Alewife Brook Parkway.
Everything outside the 128 loop
...is a figment of your fevered imaginations.
(Disclaimer: I grew up just outside Springfield. I stand by my original statement)
hah
Exactly the attitude I'd expect from someone out of Longmeadow.
(Unless you're not from Longmeadow)
Before I saw this on UHub
It happens, I swear!
Anyway, before I saw this here I had a back-and-forth with a friend who is proudly from the 206 (as he calls it) about how Mass was kicking their ass. One of the things to point out is how different the rural parts of Mass (especially Western Mass: Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire Counties) versus rural almost-anywhere-else (except Vermont and maybe adjacent parts of New Hampshire):
His response:
Me, in re Trump:
That said
Coastal Washington has the bulk of the state's population. And since they lack an income tax, I would wager that property taxes cover the bulk of educational costs. Putting that together, the likes of Bellevue and Edmonds should vastly outweigh Moses Lake or Yakima, making the state look better than it is.
I think the threat of the state taking over a school is a big driver for schools to deliver in Massachusetts. And I love that the MCAS was tougher than what the feds want for their assessment, meaning we challenge our kids more.
You left one out
Spokane has about 250,000 people in its metro area.
That ain't small.
But, yes, their lack of income tax (but ENORMOUS sales tax) does mean more contrast in school funding - especially when state aid is on a pupil/teacher basis (and not outright community need basis).
Spokane is smaller than Tacoma
And Tacoma is not even the second largest city in its metro area.
And mind you I love Tacoma. I love Spokane, too, but I love the urbanness of Tacoma versus the laid back vibe of Spokane. My wife used to hate them both, but I got her to see the light. Waquiot Jr. has yet to visit Spokane, but he loved his visit to Tacoma last summer.
MS and *$
Microsoft and Starbucks -- each a leading cause of mental impairment. Combined, the effects are multiplied.
Per capita dope consumption.
Per capita dope consumption.
Education level of residents
makes the most difference. Massachusetts is #1 in the country for percentage of residents for both college and advanced degrees.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_educational_attainment
We are freakin' smaht so our children are freakin' smaht too.
You're not from around here,
You're not from around here, are ya? It's "wicked smaht"!
Eastern Washington
is agricultural and heavily populated by migrant farm workers. A friend of mine grew up there.
Massachusetts has its fair share of low-income folks and immigrants, but not that many migrant or itinerant workers. That is a unique challenge to education, because kids are coming and going every six weeks between Washington, Oregon, California, and Mexico.
I suspect it's because
I suspect it's because Massachusetts has more competition among schools, arising from much smaller school districts (typically only covering a city/town). In contrast, most of the rest of the country sees schools organized by county or by very large subdivisions of a county, resulting in near-monopoly (from the perspective of parents) and near-monopsony (from the perspective of teachers). Large districts prevent parents from holding districts accountable by moving and thus reduce the potential for better schools to influence property values, while the monopsony holds down teacher wages.
Example: King County (the populated portion of which is comparable in area and population to Rhode Island) only has 19 public school districts.
Put it this way
We laugh at and ignore our gay haters, book burners, anti science anti vaccination lunatics and creationists.
They indulge them, particularly east of the mountains