We know from monitoring children's development for almost a decade that despite lots of money being spent in the early years, standards of early reading and mathematics development haven't increased.

BBC: Viewpoints: Childcare changes

The most obvious example of this is the set of mathematics standards first put forward in the early 1990s by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

UNESCO: II Part Analytic Section

The earliest known mathematics appear to be attempts to quantify time and make calendars, with other early efforts directed towards accounting, astronomy, and engineering.

FORBES: Does Math Really Exist?

What exemplified Islam for him, he said, was the decision by one early Muslim ruler to ransom Christian prisoners in exchange for works of Greek philosophy, medicine and mathematics.

ECONOMIST: Naguib Mahfouz | The

She gets up at 5:30am every morning, leaves the house about the time the kids and I are rising, goes in early to work to get things ready for the day, spends the school hours teaching lessons about mathematics, literature, science, civics, citizenship, friendship, achievement, disappointment, dedication, right, wrong, pride, humility, and more, and stays late to organize materials and set up special projects.

FORBES: Why US education deserves our praise (and funding)