"Friendly numbers," "making 10s" and "landmark numbers" are just some of the new phrases students learn to dissect math problems.

Common Core math is designed to help children do more math in their heads, breaking down problems into "friendly" numbers that will help them. But do semantics like this really matter?

Many Sonoma County high schools now offer Integrated Math courses (Math 1, 2, 3), combining algebra, geometry, and statistics. The traditional sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II is less ...