Schools are urged to prepare more students to take algebra by the eighth grade. Many people think math succeess depends largely on natural talent or ability. The experts say it depends on effort.  Studies have shown children improve in math when they believe that their efforts to learn make them smarter.

学习被督促让更多的学生在八年级学习代数。很多人认为学好数学要依靠天赋和能力。专家们则认为要依靠努力。研究显示，当学生们相信努力学好数学是让他们变的更聪明时，他们就会进步。

The report also calls for strengthening the math preparation of elementary and middle school teachers. And it urges publishers to shorten math books, which are often up to a thousand pages long. The panel said math books are much smaller in many nations where students do better in math than American children.

报告呼吁加强初中和高中教师的数学储备。同时督促出版者缩短课本的长度，通常教材长达上千页。小组表示，很过国家的数学课本更小，但是成绩比美国的学生更好。

Publisher say American textbooks have to meet the goals of different states for what should be taught in each grade. The report also calls for more research on effects of using calculators. Many algebra teachers expressed concern about their use in the lower grades. And the report says gifted students who can move though the material much faster than others should be permitted to do so.

出版商说，每个年级都需要教授不同的内容，美国的教材不得不与各个州的的目标相适应。报告还呼吁对使用计算器的效果做更多的研究。许多教师表达了对低年级生使用计算器问题的关心。同时报告支持，那些天赋比较好的学生应该被允许这么做，因为他们比其他的学生领会知识更快。

The math panel says the educational system needs major changes. If not, it warns that the United States will lose the mathematics leadership it possessed during the most 20th century.

数学小组指出，教育体系需要大的改变。否则，小组警告说，美国将会失去在20世纪大部分时候在数学领域所占有的领导地位。