Abstract This article comparatively examines elementary mathematics curriculum development studies carried out in Turkey and the US in terms of their curriculum development perspectives and approaches. In the first section, curriculum development studies and their impacts on the Turkish educational system have been discussed. The second sec- tion began with the reform movements following the publication of the NCTM Stan- dards in the US. Then three curriculum development projects based on the NCTM standards were examined in detail. Finally, these three projects and the new Turkish mathematics curriculum were comparatively evaluated on the basis of the methods and approaches used by the official organizations of Turkey and the US in both. Key Words Mathematics Education, Elementary Education, Curriculum Development. 579 Comparison of the Development of Elementary Mathematics Curriculum Studies in Turkey and The U.S.A Adnan BAK‹ * , Tuba GÖKÇEK ** © 2005 E¤itim Dan›flmanl›¤› ve Araflt›rmalar› ‹letiflim Hizmetleri Tic. Ltd. fiti. (EDAM) * Correspondence: Prof. Dr. Adnan Baki, Karadeniz Technical University Fatih Education Faculty, Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education 61335 Sö¤ütlü – Trabzon, Turkey. E-mail: abaki@ktu.edu.tr ** Karadeniz Technical University, Fatih Education Faculty, Department of Elementary Mathematics Education. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice 5 (2) • November 2005 • 579-588