This report is produced by the OECD’s Future of Education and Skills 2030 (Education 2030) project. It presents an international analysis of mathematics curricula with the aim of supporting countries in their curriculum reform efforts.

Curriculum reform is pivotal in that it can act as a significant driver of student performance and well-being. A well-designed curriculum ensures consistent quality across different educational settings and age groups, contributing to equity in education. It provides a framework that supports teachers, facilitates parent-teacher interactions, and maintains educational continuity across various levels. Moreover, curriculum redesign is essential for keeping the educational content relevant and responsive to societal changes and innovations. Without periodic updates, a stagnant curriculum risks stifling creativity and misalignment with students' and society’s evolving needs.

Any curriculum change has proven to be a real challenge for countries at different phases of its enactment, with unintended consequences experienced from design to implementation to evaluation. While remaining a domestic issue, policymakers have gradually come to realise that there is much to learn about how to successfully manage curriculum change from other countries’ experiences. This realisation, coupled with the aspiration of governments to find some common language to articulate a broader vision of education to inform future-oriented curricula, provide the foundation for the Education 2030 project.

The project, which will evolve into Education 2040, was initiated in 2015 to help countries adapt their education systems to better meet the demands of the 21st Century. Specifically, the project aims to support countries in their efforts to respond to the following questions:

• What kinds of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values are necessary for students and teachers to understand, engage with and shape a changing world towards a better future in 2030?

• How can learning environments that can foster these competencies be designed, i.e. how can future-oriented curricula be designed and implemented?

As a response to the first question, a comprehensive future-oriented learning framework has been developed, the OECD Learning Compass 2030, which sets out an aspirational vision for the future of education grounded in the notions of student agency, well-being and competencies as powerful means for positive transformation in education and in society. The notion of student agency here refers to the belief that one can shape one’s own future rather than being shaped by it.

The OECD Learning Compass is neither an assessment framework nor a curriculum framework. To successfully foster the competencies it sets out, education systems need to design future-oriented curricula that are appropriate and relevant to their local context. This is part of the “how” question, which the Education 2030 project addresses by conducting rigorous international curriculum analyses (i.e. descriptive, rather than prescriptive, with the goal of supporting curriculum change processes that are evidence-based). This has resulted in a series of six thematic reports exploring key policy challenges faced by governments related to curriculum reform:

The Education 2030 international curriculum analyses series also includes subject-specific reports. The first one focused on physical education and was published in 2019: Making Physical Education Dynamic and Inclusive for 2030. The present report focuses on mathematics. For more detailed information on the project and the reports outlined above, please refer to the Overview brochure of the series.

This report explores key considerations for modernising mathematics curricula to address the evolving societal, economic and technological demands of this century. Policymakers are confronted with the challenge of preparing students for a complex and dynamic future, where mathematical competencies are essential for personal and professional success. Mathematics has long been a cornerstone of human progress and continues to drive innovation in fields like technology and data science. Its influence is vital in shaping modern societies and economies across the globe.

To meet these demands, learners require a curriculum that not only emphasises the conceptual rigour and depth of mathematics but also supports its real-world applications. This entails equipping students with the competencies necessary to apply their mathematical knowledge in diverse contexts. However, policymakers face the challenge of incorporating new content and competencies, such as data literacy, computational thinking and problem-solving, without overloading students and educators.

This report highlights several key aspects for consideration in mathematics curriculum redesign, including catering to student diversity, content rebalancing, aligning curriculum implementation with design, the importance of adequate resourcing, embracing technological advancements, aligning high-stakes examinations with future-focused curriculum goals, and preparing and supporting teachers to effectively design and implement a future-oriented curriculum at the school level. By addressing these issues, policymakers can ensure that mathematics education remains relevant, equitable and capable of fostering the competencies students need for success in the rapidly changing world.

The report is structured into four chapters. Chapter 1 sets the scene for the report by highlighting the uniqueness of mathematics as a discipline and how mathematics curriculum accommodates 21st Century demands and competencies, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, computational thinking, and creativity, in comparison with other learning areas.

Chapter 2 focuses on the following aspects of curriculum development for which systematic comparative data are available: 1) how mathematics curricula are evolving in various countries, particularly on content coverage; 2) how countries are integrating future-oriented competencies in their mathematics curricula. The findings invite a reflection on some gaps identified between current curricula and aspirations for the future and that require further investigation.

Chapter 3 re-introduces five key priority issues in curriculum change, which were the focus of previously published Education 2030 thematic reports as general curriculum reform challenges. The five issues are: 1) keeping curriculum relevant for the future; 2) curriculum overload; 3) closing equity gaps in curriculum; 4) embedding attitudes and values in curriculum; and 5) curriculum flexibility and autonomy. This chapter discusses these issues in the context of mathematics teaching and learning.

Chapter 4 concludes by addressing some critical considerations for policymakers in redesigning mathematics curricula. It explores how general design principles apply to mathematics curriculum redesign, such as focus and rigour, authenticity, transferability, flexibility, and engagement (creating opportunities for student and teacher agency).