THE INFLUENCE OF PROGRAMS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES ON THE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS REFORM CURRICULA IN THE UNITED-STATES

For too long, most Americans have been provincial in their thinking ab out schooling in other countries. As contact with educators from other nations has increased, we have become aware of differences in the mat hematics included in the school curriculum, in the methods used in tea ching mathematics, and in the way student performance is assessed in o ther countries. My claim is that at a general level this growing aware ness has influenced the policies underlying the current curriculum ref orm movement in the United States. This article looks at the influence of developments in other countries on those reform efforts and materi als and, specifically, at one example of curriculum materials now bein g used in American schools, which was guided by research and reform in the Netherlands.