According to this story, American schools' emphasis on "fun" and confidence-building in the classroom at the expense of skill-learning is hurting our country's math achievement levels:

Math textbooks in the United States, for example, tend to have colorful photos, charts and stories to please kids, he noted. In other nations, the texts strictly have math.

Fennell said engaging, relevant lessons are important. But he agreed with Loveless that every lesson should be about teaching math, not simply providing a fun class activity.

People who care about this stuff ought to read the work of Marilyn Burns.