Ready or not, calculators are here and they are part of the American mathematics curriculum. The question is no longer whether to integrate calculators into the curriculum or not, but how and when to integrate them. While there seems to be a consensus that it is appropriate to use calculators in the upper grade levels, most notably in the secondary grades, the issue of their use in the primary grades is far from over.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has endorsed the use of calculators at all levels (NCTM, 1989). This puts NCTM at odds with solid majorities of both the general public, and teachers. A study by the research organization Public Agenda, commissioned by the National Education Association (NEA), found that 73% of teachers and 86% of the general public believe that students should learn their basic facts, and how to do arithmetic by hand before using calculators (Public Agenda, 1996). In fact, the Sonoma Valley school district has banned the use of calculators in kindergarten through third grade, and will limit their use in the fourth and fifth grades (Mathematically Correct, 1996).