Local Revision: Wordiness

Unsplash, Pencil Sharpener Notebook Paper, 10/2/2015, via Pixabay Public Distribution Domain License

Old Paragraph:
New Math, by definition, was a new system that, as stated above, focuses on "investigation and discovery". In normal human terms, new math focuses on the processes on how to solve a problem a certain way instead of learning the concepts behind a problem. This system has been implemented in public school ever since the 60s. The term "new math" has since expired, but the basic concept remains the same; students are not learning the reasons and concepts that make up math. At first, there was a great improvement in math comprehension when New Math was first implemented, but as time has passed these numbers have dropped. Recent studies have shown a noticeable decrease in math comprehension at all grade levels from K-12 such as this one or this one. 2015 in particular has shown a significant drop in test scores. The Math Wars are the debate over whether or not this way of teaching should be updated/changed.

New Paragraph:
New Math was a new system that, as stated above, focuses on "investigation and discovery"; new math focuses on the processes on how to solve a problem a certain way instead of learning the concepts behind a problem, and has been used in public schools since the 60s. The term "new math" has since expired, but the basic concept remains the same; students are not learning the reasons and concepts that make up math. Over the past few decades recent average test scores have dropped drastically, and new math is the main suspect. This trend applies to all grades K-12, and 2015 in particular has shown a significant drop in test scores. The Math Wars are the debate over whether or not this way of teaching should be updated/changed.

I like the new paragraph better since I shaved off a lot of the unnecessary jargon in the block paragraph. I actually liked the old paragraph as it was, but it seemed to overstay its welcome because of its length. The new paragraph doesn't fit my style of writing as much, but it finds power in its brevity. 
In short
Strength: Gets to the point in a more efficient way.
Weakness: Doesn't fit too well with the rest of the writing.