The media reports that our mathematics students are falling behind and not meeting the expectations set before them. What is the reason for this? There are many different answers to this question; the changing demographics of our students, funding for educational programs and teachers, cultural differences within the classroom, and outdated teaching styles and practice. Mathematics students in America need to rise to the top in education and remain competitive with other countries around the world. To begin to meet this demand, we, as educators, need to make sure that all teachers are continually expanding their knowledge base about trends, curriculum and technology in mathematics. Teachers play an important and vital role in the lives of children. In every classroom in the United States, there needs to be a high-quality teacher. The U.S. needs to continually offer high-quality professional development to all teachers, regardless of state, school system or school.

Too many teachers are set in their one teaching style they have been using for years. Teacher’s lesson plans remain unchanged from year to year, even though mathematics is changing and new trends are emerging. We can not have this anymore in our classrooms; it is leading to the decline of our mathematics students. Times are changing and therefore teaching should be changing as well. Teachers need to be flexible and consider all of the different learning styles of students in the classroom. There needs to be an end to the "one size fits all" mentality. To change this practice, teachers around the country need to participate in effective and beneficial training, communicate and collaborate with colleagues and have the professional support they need to implement new teaching strategies and styles. This needs to be done quickly and effectively so mathematics classrooms are problem-centered and enriching environments, which will then improve the success of our students in mathematics.

This paper discusses professional development for in-service and pre-service mathematics teachers. It includes research on effective professional development and characteristics to look for in a program, in order to gain the most from the experience. Also included is the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics views and visions concerning professional development for educators. A new set of standards has risen, "Achieve", which is offering their own set of expectations for middle school mathematics students. Since Achieve’s document is only in draft form, this paper will examine what professional development opportunities need to be implemented and offered to mathematics teachers. Lastly, the paper raises issues and problems concerning the professional development of all mathematics teachers in every state, school district and school.