Back in the day, you needed two years of math (not necessarily as high as algebra) to graduate from high school. Prior to 1950, most people didn't even graduate from high school, so I am talking about more recent times.
Ten years ago, you could graduate from high school with Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 - just Algebra 1 and Geometry and an arithmetic class if you weren't going to college. Note: Virginia, who is opting out of Common Core, has added a personal finance and economics requirement to graduation requirements.
Georgia insists that every student take math through trigonometry in order to graduate. No, wait, we will allow them to use a support class that isn't given its own grade to count as a math class but we will only do this for special ed students who cannot master the math. No, wait, let's let anyone who cannot otherwise graduate do this.
Kate Nowak quoted in her blog a software engineer saying too many people are giving up on math before they even know what it is. I do not know of another subject where you have to learn how-to do things before you can really see what it does. If you are stuck in the I-have-to-use-a-calculator-to-do-simple-arithmetic how can you appreciate the sheer fun of factoring?
I use sports analogies with the students all the time - that you have to practice to get better - but they want to play football, softball, basketball, whatever - they have been convinced by their peers, their parents, their former teachers - whoever - that math is meaningless. I struggle every day with simple things that should not be a struggle because the education we offer has no continuity, no links, no book and I am losing any hope of teaching those who do not want to learn.
The game plan is shifting almost every day - it's like playing football and not know if I get 4 downs or 5 today - and I am smart enough to know it is going to get worse with Common Core.
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