Abstract
In this chapter I reflect on some of the challenges of developing school students’ mathematical literacy (ML) that have been touched on in the preceding chapters. To do this, I use an ML-flavoured model of the curriculum design and enactment process that distinguishes between the official curriculum, the operational curriculum, and mediating factors that influence elements of both. Along the way, I identify three ways in which mathematical literacy could be regarded as a disruptive innovation. (1) Mathematical literacy is inherently interdisciplinary and cannot be contained within the disciplinary confines of the official curriculum; (2) In the operational curriculum, teaching for mathematical literacy needs to foster students’ critical thinking and gather evidence of a broader range of learning outcomes than are typically specified in the official curriculum; (3) The emphasis within initial teacher education on preparing discipline experts leaves too little room for developing cross-curricular ML knowledge. These observations are meant to encourage researchers and teachers to embrace the transformative possibilities of embedding mathematical literacy across the school curriculum.