As larger numbers of teenagers entered high school early in this century, many of these students were judged not able or willing to take traditional academic mathematics. Thus, a new course was introduced to reinforce the basic-arithmetic skills of this group of students. While changing little over the years, general mathematics has become one of the most taught and least examined mathematics courses offered at the secondary school level. Even as the world has become more technologically advanced, general-mathematics enrollment has remained relatively stable, and the curriculum is still rooted in the “basic skills.” Many high school students understandably think of the study of mathematics as both boring and as a set of “rules to follow and memorize” (IEA 1985, 81).