I read the following defense of the pedagogical strategies behind the Common Core: http://www.vox.com/2014/4/20/5625086/the-common-core-makes-simple-math-more-complicated-heres-why

I really have no issue with the article itself. Sadly, the article does not address the two great deficiencies in the implementation of the Common Core: (1) homework problems and other assessments to gauge the depth of a student’s conceptual understanding of mathematics in ways that are age-appropriate, and (2) the direct tying of high-stakes tests based on the Common Core standards to the assessment of teachers.

I don’t feel like replicating my previous posts on this topic, so I’ll refer to my past posts here: https://meangreenmath.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/common-core-subtraction-and-the-open-number-line-index/