The Article
In this chapter, Associate Dean Joan Ferrini-Mundy and colleague Karen Graham of the University of New Hampshire chronicle the nature of mathematics teacher education during the last half of the 20th century

Discussion
Given their historical analysis, the authors conclude that as the goals, programs, and practices in K–12 mathematics education evolved, so did these elements of mathematics teacher education. Indeed, the authors chronicle several major shifts in the goals of school mathematics. The launching of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 “was a watershed event that jolted U.S. public, government, and scientific communities into taking more concerted action in the areas of mathematics and science education.” Curriculum projects funded by the National Science foundation and based on goal statements of the time placed an emphasis on the structure and beauty of mathematics. In the late 1960s and 1970s, there was a backlash against the recommendations of the new math era and led to an emphasis on basic mathematical skills. A number of issues in the late 1970s led the mathematics education community to consider a new set of basic skills that included an increased emphasis on problem solving, reasoning and communication. Along with these was a commitment to strong mathematical preparation for all students. Changes in teacher education paralleled those developments in school mathematics. In addition, the authors point out that research in mathematics education also evolved. They show that the research widened over the years to include a stronger focus on teacher education. “Mathematics teacher education continues to be an important area of discussion and an active research area …,” the authors conclude. “We suspect that the problem of what mathematical knowledge is appropriate for teaching and the problem of relating the learning of teachers to the learning of their students will continue to be the central, challenging issues that will shape the goals, programs, and practices of mathematics teacher education.”

Citation
Ferrini-Mundy, J. & Graham, K.J. (2004). “The education of mathematics teachers in the United States after World War II: Goals, programs, and practices.” In G. M. A. Stanic & J. Kilpatrick (Eds.) A History of School Mathematics (pp. 1193–1310). Washington, D.C.: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
 

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