I am concerned about the use of calculators in the classroom. Shouldn't students learn the basics first before being allowed to use calculators?

It is definitely important for all students to acquire the fundamental ideas of mathematics early in school, including operational facility with numbers (basic facts), and then build on those ideas to learn more advanced content. In the past, much of mathematics was learned through rote memorization; however, we now know that memorization is not an effective means of learning for understanding. Educational research indicates that the most permanent learning occurs when students learn concepts through applied problems prior to or concurrent with emphasis on skills. Approaching these applied problems with calculators enables students to concentrate on the problem rather than the computation, which will often be messy as are many real problems. Sound instructional practice recommends that students should have access to calculators for both instruction and testing, and they should be instructed in thoughtful and appropriate use of this powerful mathematical tool.