Comment by throwaway173738

“New math” was actually a college prep thing because it sought to teach kids how mathematics as a field worked. It’s telling that the author’s only criticism is just that it bewildered some parents. I would expect that because they were never exposed to those concepts in the first place. Kids are bewildered by anything new. They were bewildered by “old math” too. You have to work with them to get them past that. So saying it bewildered kids is like saying water is wet.