Chapter 4: Where Are We Now And Where Are We Going?

Quast (1968) ended his overview of the history of the geometry curriculum by commenting on the unprecedented changes brought about in schools as a result of the post-1950s reform period. Although changes in content were limited, he noted the “significant changes in attitude” that were evident in the eclectic view of the mathematics curriculum as well as in teachers’ tendency to teach “enthusiastically and for understanding” (p. 326). The proliferation of alternative programs and the continued development of experimental programs were signs that uniform reform strategies of the past had finally ceded to more diverse initiatives. The development of the NSF-funded curriculum projects (known as the reform curricula) combined the two trends in offering several alternative programs that met more or less uniform reform strategies, with different programs emphasizing different strategies.