This century has seen vast changes in school systems everywhere and in the education they offer. For example, in the developed countries, secondary education for all has become a reality; elsewhere, rapid progress to that end is being made. However, not only is education being offered more widely, but it now has different goals. Changes in the social and economic structures of society have had profound implications for education, as have the growth of new technologies and of knowledge. Such changes will continue to occur and to present challenges to the educator and, in particular, to the curriculum developer. The need for curriculum development will not be transient.

In this book we describe some of the features of curriculum development as it affects mathematical education. We shall look at the way that curriculum development has taken place in the past – especially within the last two decades; the various forces that have influenced the form that it has taken and the successes it has achieved; the management procedures which have been devised; and the attempts made to evaluate its outcomes. Finally, we look critically at the reform period in retrospect, its achievements and failures, and the lessons to be learned.