Mathematics Education in the United States- Past to Present

This paper was written around 2001, when the No Child Left Behind was being implemented. The author, John Woodward, explores the social forces that led to behaviorist math, procedural math, and these theoretical camps had some benefit and limitations. The author explores how math was used unite the United States for competition against the former USSR. Students with Learning Disabilities in the 1950's (when LD were practically not talked about and attributed to poverty and being part of a minority) to the early years of George Bush's No Child Left Behind when LD had grown by 300 percent.

For example, the author mentions that in the 1970's there was a push to go back to basics, so that people could add and subtract and solve problems such as giving change back. The author discusses that there was a push to teach step by step on how to solve problems but that there was not a way to really understand how to solve the mathematical problem months after when the teacher was not there to help set up the problem.  The author then discusses that in the 1980 and 1990's those skills were easily done by computers and information processing theory was used to explain how preschoolers understand math.

Basically, it seems to show that the United States has an ebb and flow where we try to push for "conceptual and procedural" understanding of math. It seems as a nation, we are always in flux and always lacking in real understanding of math, so that we push for deep conceptual understanding of math, but somehow not teach fundamental skills, and then we try to go back to basics because industry leaders say our workforce lacks fundamental skills for employment. Historical and social changes also change what mathematical literacy and skills are going to be needed to be able to have a competent workforce. In 1995, the first international math and science assessment (TIMSS) placed the United States scores in the middle of the 41 countries who participated.

To confound what seems to be a theoretical back and forth from the basics to a more robust knowledge, is the pedagogical methods of teaching math to children with learning disabilities. There does not seem to be a cohesive plan on how to teach math. It should not come as surprise that there is resistance to the Common Core Standards when on looks at this historical perspective.