A project goal was to affect change in the secondary mathematics curriculum and the styles and methods of instruction. The project was based on three fundamental assumptions: (1) The prevailing style of presentation in the secondary mathematics curriculum is too narrow and formalized. We must broaden the curriculum and encourage active learning styles which stress experimental and exploratory approaches to learning. (2) The role of the teacher is absolutely crucial to affect change in the curriculum and styles of instruction. The teacher's attitude about what is important and how it should be taught is the most important factor. (3) Statistics should be presented in a coherent fashion and must be approached through problems, not just techniques. The role of statistics in society and statistics across the curriculum are important objectives of statistical education.
The CAUSE Research Group is supported in part by a member initiative grant from the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education