ABSTRACT
By the late nineteenth century, mathematics had become a central element in the curriculum of schools in the United States. And at the turn of the twentieth century, mathematics education became a professional area of study at institutions of higher education. Ironically, as the professional study of mathematics education grew during the early years of the twentieth century, the traditional place of mathematics in the school curriculum was being threatened.
During this era, mathematics educators had to respond to a complex network of factors affecting the school curriculum: The United States was developing as an industrialized society; the school population grew dramatically; and four general curriculum interest groups argued for their distinct visions of what knowledge is of most worth. In the field of mathematics education, the early years of the twentieth century were characterized by conflict, continuity, and compromise.
