Chapter 1: The Road to Reform

History provides valuable insights and perspectives to those wise enough to study the lessons offered and to learn from them. This truism applies to many fields including mathematics education. An important legacy from the “new mathematics” era of the 1950–1960s was the documentation of challenges and accomplishments of the School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG). In the book, SMSG: The Making of a Curriculum, Wooten (1965) provides an insider’s look at a major mathematics curriculum project as it evolved. It is a fascinating story that documents the challenges of developing and implementing new curriculum models. Interestingly, some of those challenges mirror the same issues faced in the recent era of curriculum reform. This chapter provides the background and context for the establishment of the Show-Me Center. Two key actions formed the basis for the Center—first, the response of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to national calls for improvement to mathematics education and second, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) effort to create high quality curriculum materials and support teachers in improving their instructional practices.