"...for parents, the transition has been hard"

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, especially since Math-Frolic really isn't an education blog… except that this isn't a DEAD horse; it's very much alive and kicking, and I see no near-term end to it... another piece, from NY Times, on why current-day parents have so much trouble with Common Core:

http://tinyurl.com/ms2pq38

a couple of sentences that capture the essence:

"Even supporters of the Common Core say changes are being pushed too quickly. Rushing to institute a new math curriculum does not make sense if you are 'planning to get the job done in a rational way,' said Phil Daro, one of three principal writers of the Common Core math standards.
"Tensions over the Common Core have been heightened because the standards are tied to new standardized tests being introduced in many states. Teachers are fretting that their performance ratings will increasingly depend on how their students perform on these tests."

and further on:

“ 'Imagine, if you will, if the state government came down to Detroit and said in six weeks you have to be 100 percent metric,' said Jonathan Marceau, a fourth-grade teacher in Shelby Township, Mich…"

or this from a parent: “They say this is rigorous because it teaches them higher thinking. But it just looks tedious.”

It's nice to know that parents are so passionately interested in their children's education… it's less clear whether that passion can lead from disagreement and controversy, to resolution and progress???

ADDENDUM (7/2/14): Dr. Keith Devlin has now responded to this NY Times piece here:
http://devlinsangle.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-power-of-dots.html