Mathematics Teacher Celebrates 100th Year

Reston, Va., March, 2007 -One hundred years ago, Teddy Roosevelt was president of the United States, color photography had just been invented, Albert Einstein had only recently published his theory of relativity, and a journal for math teachers had begun rolling off the presses.

It all started when a group of mathematics educators from the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in the Middle States and Maryland began publishing a quarterly journal dedicated to the teaching of mathematics. Since then, the Mathematics Teacher hasn't missed a beat, bringing current teaching ideas and practices to generations of teachers.

The Mathematics Teacher , also known as MT , has grown considerably since that first volume year. The quarterly journal with 162 total pages in its first year has increased to a nine-issue volume of more than 700 pages. It now depends on the volunteer efforts of nine editorial panel members, fifteen department editors, and close to six hundred referees and reviewers.

MT , the sixth-oldest academic journal of national perspective in education in the United States and Canada, is more than a professional journal. As NCTM President Francis (Skip) Fennell points out in his introduction to MT 's Special Issue, the journal "is a voice for teachers, mathematicians, and mathematics educators that encourages [them] to provide more mathematics and better mathematics for all students."

Since its inception, this journal has been an active forum for sharing ideas on the teaching and learning of mathematics. Its vitality is based on contributions from a wide range of authors.
 
When the journal began, it dealt with topics such as "Modern Tendencies in the Teaching of Algebra" and "Mathematical Historical Material from the East." Today, authors continue to fill the journal's pages with "modern tendencies" in teaching a rich collection of topics on a wide variety of mathematics. The MT is credited as well for spawning journals for teachers of elementary and middle school, Teaching Children Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has 100,000 members and more than 240 Affiliates in the United States and Canada. It is the world's largest organization dedicated to improving mathematics education for all students from pre-K through grade 12. The Council's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics provides guidelines for excellence in mathematics education and issues a call for all students to engage in more challenging mathematics.