Hate to break it to you C&SD but I was one of those that showed up at the local school board meeting to register my opinion on Common Core.
However, I'm not a truther, birther, vaxxer (unless you mean I get my kids vaccinated), HAARPist, or Chemtrailer.
I did, however, not care for the Federal database that Common Core uses (and provides to various .gov agencies and private companies).
The local school board gave the impression that they weren't exactly thrilled with Common Core, but since the State of Illinois said "Sie werden" on the curriculum, they had to implement that. The board was and is refusing to do the Big Brother stuff.
Now, math is math and it hasn't changed much over the last several centuries. His math teacher even told them that the methods used by your parents aren't wrong, just different, use the method(s) that work for you. "There's more than one way to skin a cat."
Many parents (myself included) weren't happy with the touchy/feely, hippie/dippy English curriculum. Not enough parts of speech/spelling and writing type learning, more emphasis on typing/technology, and "being yourself" as well getting rid of grades. (Although the students have to rate themselves and put in their own grades
).
But, for me, school is just the basics, the groundwork. It's my job to fill in the gaps and especially help guide him on his choices of reading materials. With a heavy emphasis on classics. As in more Twain/Kipling/Poe but less Bronte/Dickens. Somewhere in here is my rant to Female English teachers about engaging pre-teen and teenage boys, which goes something like less
Romeo & Juliet, more
Henry V.