Why are so few students becoming engineers?

From her perspective as a secondary mathematics teacher involved in education over a 30-year period, the author attributes the lack of interest in engineering to three factors: the poor quality of teaching, the lack of commitment in students, and the deficiencies of the curriculum. She addresses the mathematics curriculum of kindergarten through 12th grade and identifies factors working against students doing mathematics. She maintains that the typical elementary curriculum is filled with an inordinate amount of arithmetic review with a single goal, the mastery of multidigit computation-rather than the mastery of conceptualization. She suggests that changes in instructional strategy, placement and pacing of new content in the curriculum, and the level of expectations may help to improve achievement.<>