Mathematics—for whom?

If one accepts the year 1957 as the beginning of the “modern mathematics” era for the elementary school and high school mathematics programs, then we are now more than half way through the second decade of the “revolution” in mathematics education. In 1967 a number of speakers at meetings of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics expressed the view that the first decade of the mathematics curriculum reform movement was devoted to developing worthwhile mathematics content, and since that phase of curriculum reform had been accomplished with great success, the second decade should be devoted to the pedagogical issues of how this content can be taught successfully to children. Although many mathematics educators may be satisfied with the mathematics content of the present programs, an increasing number of educators are raising serious questions about these mathematics curriculums.