Resumen

One of the most compelling lessons of the new math reform era --from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s-- concerned the pivotal role of the mathematics teacher in effecting curriculum change. Recent efforts to change the school mathematics curriculum are rediscovering that old lesson: The teacher is the key to change. Consequently, when teachers are confronted with arguments against the direction that proposals for curriculum change are taking, it is important for them to analyze and discuss the proposed changes. Recent experiences in the United States, which does not have the same centralized curriculum organization as Portugal but which is experiencing some of the same proposals and arguments against them, may be helpful in understanding the role that teachers can play in the social process of creating a curriculum.