On March 13, 2008, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel submitted its Final Report to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Education, and it was officially released to the public on that date, as well. The Panel agrees that the delivery system in mathematics education--the system that translates mathematical knowledge into value and ability for the next generation--is broken and must be fixed. This is not a conclusion about any single element of the system. It is about how the many parts do not now work together to achieve a result worthy of this country's values and ambitions. In this report, the Panel suggest that America has genuine opportunities for improvement in mathematics education. This report lays lays out many concrete steps that can be taken now toward significantly improved mathematics education, the essence of the Panel's message is to "put first things first." The six recommendations for making improvements include: (1) The mathematics curriculum in Grades PreK-8 should be streamlined and should emphasize a well-defined set of the most critical topics in the early grades; (2) Use should be made of what is clearly known from rigorous research about how children learn, especially by recognizing (a) the advantages for children in having a strong start, (b) the mutually reinforcing benefits of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and automatic (i.e., quick and effortless) recall of facts, and (c) that effort, not just inherent talent, counts in mathematical achievement; (3) Citizens and their educational leadership should recognize mathematically knowledgeable classroom teachers as having a central role in mathematics education and should encourage rigorously evaluated initiatives for attracting and appropriately preparing prospective teachers, and for evaluating and retaining effective teachers; (4) Instructional practice should be informed by high-quality research, when available, and by the best professional judgment and experience of accomplished classroom teachers; (5) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and state assessments should be improved in quality and should carry increased emphasis on the most critical knowledge and skills leading to Algebra; and (6) The nation must continue to build capacity for more rigorous research in education so that it can inform policy and practice more effectively. The following are appended: (1) Presidential Executive Order 13398; (2) Rosters of Panel Members, Staff, and Consultants; (3) Organization and Operation of the Panel; (4) Dates and Locations of Meetings; and (5) Rosters of Task Groups and Subcommittees. (Contains 3 tables and 16 footnotes.) [This report was produced for the U.S. Department of Education by Widmeyer Communications and Abt Associates Inc. It was developed and adopted by the members of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.]