This investigation of twentieth century trends in mathematics education includes the survey of existing literature and questionnaires conducted with retired and active Texas teachers. Historical events, trends in curriculum, instruction, learning theories, and contradictions of twenty-year periods are delineated. Questionnaire responses are tabulated along the same periods and vignettes of typical classrooms are drawn from the data. Results of the survey show the impact of societal forces on mathematics curricula, a continued downward expansion of content into lower grades and expanding knowledge of learning processes. A unified mathematics curriculum, classroom-related learning theory research, and further development of team-teaching are postulated as future trends. Recommendations include further examination of trends through isolation of other variables such as region and ethnicity.

This investigation is concerned with the identification of creative students in the classroom. One purpose of the study is a search of the literature to determine the emphasis given to creativity in education today. A second is to determine if a measure of creativity given to a group of students would reveal a discrimination between the students. The measure of creativity used in this study was the Christensen-Guilford Fluency Tests. The sample group for the study included fifty-two male and fifty-three female students in the ninth grade of the Richardson Independent School District in Dallas', Texas. This study concludes that measurements of mental abilities must include measurements of creativity as well as intelligence if the more gifted students are to be recognized.