Mathematics Programs in High Schools and Two-Year Colleges

Summary Today school mathematics is receiving greater attention than at any time since the flurry of activities following the launching of Sputnik in 1957. A Nation At Risk and many other national reports have called for an increased emphasis on mathematics. As we move into the information age, a person’s mathematical knowledge will be a significant factor in determining whether the person will be a “have” or a “have not” in the new society. Until now the secondary school mathematics program has tended to concentrate on two areas: preparation for four-year colleges, and basic skills instruction. The flexible curriculum to meet the diverse needs of all students called for in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Agenda for Action has yet to materialize. Achievement of seventeen-years-olds has been stable in the 1973, 1978 and 1982 national assesments of mathematics. Students tend to be relatively strong in whole number computation, but they are weak in higher level mathematical skills. In many areas of the country there is a shortage of qualified mathematics teachers. In the future we can anticipate greater curriculum emphasis in discrete mathematics, statistics and probability, and computer science. We can expect to see gradual infusion of recommended changes into textbooks and hence into instruction. The impact of computers and calculators on instruction will likely be uneven from school to school. Standardized test will tend to follow the trends, rather than lead them. However, locally developed criterion referenced test and College Board tests could be trend setters. In the absence of federal initiatives, curriculum changes will tend to be more local in nature than they were in the wake of Sputnik. Two-year colleges should take a proactive role and work directly with their feeder high schools to help them give their students better preparation for post-secondary education.