ABSTRACT
Mathematics stands apart as a subject in the school curriculum, universally regarded as important, the only subject taught in practically every school in the world, and apparently sublimely impervious to the constraints of the cultural environment and social value-system within which it is being taught. One way in which mathematics education can convey values to children is through relating mathematics to society in a more comprehensive way than simply through individual examples or themes. J. Henry's thesis also shows why a competitive style of mathematics teaching is relatively ineffective in cultures which are based on cooperation rather than on competition, for example American Indians, and many African and Asian societies. Mathematics is important, and schools and parents world-wide give it high priority. Many Local Education Authorities in England have issued their own 'guidelines' for primary mathematics. At a higher level, of course, it can be argued that the authority of mathematics is illusory.
