It is often said in recent times that we live in a new world of global competition. Many policy makers, educators and researchers, including the National Academy of Sciences believe that the lead in science and technology which the United States has maintained since World War II could be lost and not recovered in the near future. Many corporations are looking overseas to find talented individuals to fill their needs for innovation. Research studies into the dwindling U.S. lead in technology are focusing on the poor performance of American students on achievement tests compared to many other industrialized nations. The lack of skill in mathematics, and in particular algebra, seems to be at the center of the storm of controversy.