'Do the Math' set to begin 18th season on Sept. 10

The Kern County Superintendent of School's award-winning "Do the Math" live TV broadcast and free tutoring program is set to return for its 18th season on Sept. 10. For the past 17 years, the live interactive program has helped students strengthen their math awareness as credentialed teachers help them work out math problems on live television.

Free, phone-in tutoring is available to students from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by calling (661) 636-4357 or toll free at (866) 636-6284. From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., "Do the Math" host and executive producer Michael Cushine and several math tutors take problems from callers and work them out live on air. Special segments, guests and contests supplement the math instruction.

Cushine said, "Do the Math" has realigned its focus over the past few years because of a renewed emphasis on Career Technical Education (CTE).

"It isn't just about crunching numbers any longer. It's about problem solving," he said. "The goal is to show math at work. How it is used in the real world, in real careers, especially in STEM-related fields."

The program's segment called "Math in the Real World" airs every Wednesday and features live remotes at local businesses, organizations and other community locations where industry professionals demonstrate practical applications of math concepts in their everyday jobs.

New this season will be a special segment called "Do the Math" Robot Rumble, which will take place on five Tuesdays throughout the season (Sept. 17, Oct. 15, Jan. 21, Feb. 18 and March 17). Robot Rumble is a live showcase of middle school VEX robotics teams competing against each other as they climb the ladder to culminate in the crowning of the "Do the Math Rumble Champion."

"Do the Math" is part of 60-plus hours of weekly K-12 educational programing aligned to state standards that is available through KCSOS' Kern Education Television Network (KETN). "Do the Math" can be seen in Bakersfield on Spectrum Cable Channel 15, in California City, Boron and Mojave on Channel 19, and in Rosamond on Channel 180.

For more information, visit http://www.dothemathonline.net. You can also follow "Do the Math" on social media: Facebook: @dothemathbakersfield and Twitter: @dothemathbako.