II. Literature Review

The discussion of the effectiveness of mathematics education in the United States has a long and varied history. Given recent performances by American elementary and secondary students on national and international tests, the concern is strong and the debates are heated at this time. Adding to the process are the "new" techniques, styles of teaching, and logistics being explored in the classroom – for example, group work, various technologies, inclusion of statistics in the curricula, and block scheduling. For a deeper understanding of the state, national, and international context of this report, the committee recommends the examination of the following documents:

1. Everybody Counts
2. Challenge of Numbers
3. Reshaping School Mathematics
4. State of Mathematics Achievement
5. TIMMS
6. South Carolina Mathematics Framework, Columbia, South Carolina: South Carolina Department of Education, 1993.
7. Precollege Preparation for College Mathematics: A Survey of South Carolina Faculty, by J. Christopher Tisdale, III, Danny W. Turner, and Gary T. Brooks, Department of Mathematics, Winthrop University, January, 1998.
8. What Matters In College? , by Alexander W. Astin, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993; and What Matters in College?: Four Critical Years Revisited, by Alexander W. Astin, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1997.
9. Counting on You: Actions Supporting Mathematics Teaching Standards, Mathematics Sciences Education Board, Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1991.

These documents add perspective to this report and represent the national understanding of the issues in mathematics education as well as issues within the state. Summaries of a selection of these works are found in the appendices of this report. Most of them can be found in any university library.

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