NCTM developed its Standards in 1989 completely independent of private or governmental support. Both the 1989 and 2000 Standards documents were produced prior to any discussion of a possible sponsorship of the Professional Development Academy. It was just about the best piece of news for American education last year. It came from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics - which is not a teachers' union or another department of education composed of professors who haven't actually taught a child in years. NCTM is finally moving away from new math and re-emphasizing getting correct answers over form.
All math problems have one right answer and that is what is important.
Saying that NCTM has returned to the basics implies that we previously left them behind. That simply is not true. NCTM has always believed that students must learn and master basic facts and skills. However, learning mathematics requires much more than memorizing facts and procedures. It calls for knowing when to do what and how to make sense of the results you get.