the irony is that he is right in that math is not being taught fundamentally as it was even 30 years ago. Aside from actually having to teach/pass the material as a cause/effect, I would suspect the introduction of calculators at young ages into classes for even mundane calculations is a big culprit in preventing the early grasp of basic abstract concepts in math.
I was not allow a calculator in class until college. Now my 8th grader has one and he struggling with concepts shows it.