Australian student achievement has declined more steeply and more consistently than almost any other country, most notably in mathematics. At the same time, it’s clear that maths is now more critical than ever, to the success of students – both at school and beyond. Recent CIS research identifies that Australian teachers often have an unbalanced approach to how maths is taught in classrooms. This appears to be because teachers are victims of poor preparation from university-based Initial Teacher Education. In a concerning echo to the “reading wars” that CIS has been engaged in for many years, it’s clear there is also a great divide in maths education too.