It has been developed in a scrupulously open process. This updated Standards document is a tool for organizing much of what we know, theoretically and practically, about learning, intellectual development, and the development of mathematical ideas, as well as analyzing the role of mathematical knowledge and skill in the future lives of students. These Standards are visionary. They are a statement of where we want to be. None of us will agree with every word in Principles and Standards , but we don't have to.
Reasonable people can differ on the details, especially on details of implementation.
The real question is how we can build on these ideas to establish a high-quality mathematics education program for each of our students. The document and its vision hold something for all of us. If you are a teacher, Principles and Standards offers you, for the grade band in which you teach, an illustrated conversation about the important mathematical concepts, procedures, and ways of thinking that students must acquire. It also offers you a picture of how these concepts, procedures, and ways of thinking develop from prekindergarten through grade 12. This curricular vision of how ideas grow and develop over time is invaluable if we are to make the mathematical journey of our students through school seamless, challenging, and connected.