About 40 years ago Jerome Bruner observed the following:

The overarching goal of education in the United States is to prepare students to function as productive citizens in a highly industrialized and technical society. In such a society, technological developments and advancements are driven and promoted by mathematical and scientific discovery and application. Since the 1960s there have been numerous attempts to reform education so that it provides a greater focus on scientific and mathematical literacy. These attempts were designed not only to increase the number of professional scientists, mathematicians, and engineers but also to equip all members of society with awareness, skills, and understanding to perform more effectively in the context of such technological development and advancement. Therefore, this process is important at three levels: (1) to maintain personal membership and a sense of belonging to the general U.S. culture, which means possessing a sense of self-worth as a bona fide member of the society; (2) to have the basic skills and ability to perform everyday tasks, such as reading the newspaper, operating a home appliance, and creating and managing a budget; and (3) to increase the pool of highly qualified science, engineering, technology, and mathematics professionals who are U.S. citizens and are educated in U.S. schools.