The author argues that the reason why children still 'fail' at maths at school - despite the shift to 'easier' and more 'approachable' maths teaching since the 1960s - is because of the textbooks in use.

Raises two important and related issues: the changing social aspects of math and the quality of math schemes and textbooks. Math is no longer a subject studies by intellectuals but has become a subject for study by all children aged 5 to 16 years. The continuing failure of many children in this subject is cause for concern. Dowling critically examines textbooks, and the part they play in children's learning. He clearly shows the reader how to analyze and evaluate textbooks they are currently using. This interrogation of classroom resources has important implications for teaching strategies and for textbook design and use.