Teaching Operations Research Before University: A Focus on Grades 9–12

Operations Research (OR) is a branch of applied mathematics usually taught in undergraduate and graduate courses at the university level. Nevertheless, during the last years, various initiatives have been developed to introduce some topics to younger students. These initiatives usually aim to improve students’ interest and motivation towards mathematics and other STEM disciplines. They also allow students to acquire new skills and abilities as well as increase their awareness of a discipline with several applications. In this review, we analyze the state of the art related to Grades 9–12. We present and classify local, national and international OR educational initiatives we were able to collect. Then, we compare their objectives and focus, topics introduced, teaching methods, instruments and software chosen, and feedback received. Finally, we discuss some of the main current international and national guidelines for mathematics education of Grades 9–12, showing how OR could be suitable to fulfil many of these.