Mathematics, data and statistics seem ever-present and increasingly influence our daily lives, whether as employees, citizens or consumers (of products, services or political messaging). They support decision-making by governments, guide industry and business, and feature prominently in research and innovation in all sectors. We must therefore ensure that all young people learn how to engage confidently with a data and digitally rich world.
A new approach to mathematics and data education
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Call for views on the future importance of mathematics in education
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Call for views: methodology technical note
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An evidence review on the changing nature and importance of mathematics in the 21st century
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Landscaping national mathematics education policy
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Landscaping mathematics education policy: horizon scanning of international policy initiatives
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Scenarios for the future of mathematics
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Educational technologies in mathematics education
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In September 2023 the Royal Society launched a discussion paper for consultation ahead of a major report to be published in spring 2024. The paper makes the case for a new approach to mathematical education. Our aim is to provide a better mathematics education for everyone, from the everyday needs of citizens to the brilliant academic mathematicians of the future.
We believe this new approach, which we are calling Mathematics and Data Education, will equip future citizens with the capabilities, skills, adaptability, and resilience they need to thrive in a world where mathematics and data play increasingly important roles in everyone’s lives.
The reforms we seek are ambitious and cannot be achieved by limited short-term measures:
The Mathematical Futures Programme (MFP) was launched in February 2020, overseen by the Royal Society’s Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education through a specially convened expert Board, chaired by Sir Martin Taylor FRS. It is generously supported through donor funding from industry partners: Arm, GSK and Google, and continuing support from the London Mathematical Society, the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and the Royal Statistical Society.
The programme considers the phases between the start of compulsory education and entry into higher or further education or employment. It is concerned with the future mathematical needs of young people progressing through education and preparing for diverse futures, ranging from citizens who will require functional numeracy in their lives to those in jobs/professions where mathematical competencies will be a core component.
With a 20-year time horizon, the programme seeks to address two core questions:
Following the first phase of evidence gathering, the Mathematical Futures Programme Board agreed a number of themes that required further investigation:
Findings from the evidence-gathering phases were drawn together into a discussion paper. Its publication is the start of a process of consultation with the many communities that have a stake in the future of Mathematics and Data Education. There will be a number of consultation events and meetings during Autumn 2023.
The purpose of the consultation is to air the underlying principles and possibilities, to gauge the appetite for change, and to explore how we could move from strategic vision to implementation. We invite readers to respond by 31 October 2023 to any or all of these questions:
A report with recommendations that are informed by our consultation will be published in 2024.