New Math

For starters, new math isn't really anything new. What most people think of when they hear new math are confusing, backward ways of getting to answers that are actually fairly easy to get to in the traditional ways. They want memorization, skill and drill, traditional, straightforward ways of getting to the answer. The term New Math came into use in the sixties and has been used to refer to a number of revisions to math programs since then. I'm not a math teacher, but looking at these examples http://excelined.org/common-core-toolkit/old-standards-v-common-core-a-side-by-side-comparison-of-math-expectations/, I don't see much difference between "old math" and the Common Core or "new math". The difference is really in the teacher. How math is taught. Teachers can make up or use redundant, mind-numbing worksheets and skill and drill practice no matter what sort of math they choose, or are forced, to teach.

This is a great article from the NY Times that lays bare some of the problems with teaching in general focusing specifically on teaching math: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0.