Another skill seldom taught anymore - memorization.
Yes, rote memory is discredited. Actually, Jensen in his early works on "g" found that rote memory made children more competitive in the class room. Sort of a "if you fake it you will make it" dynamic.
Learning who to read and write is probably attainable to all those with an IQ of 70 and above. This means that 90% of children (not handicapped and developmentally disabled) who go to school.
I note that in some schools in Minnesota children are taught block printing and not cursive writing at all. Ditto for mathematics--they are taught to use calculators. In actual fact, in a fair system, they should be able to sue for educational non feasance. They are seriously handicapped vis a vis a child that can cursively write and calculate without a calculator.
Liberals hate the idea of "memorization". They think the child will not truly understand why they receive the answer they are "regurgitating" When in actuality, I always believed, for myself personally, that it was more important to initially contain the information permanently. Analyzing the "why's" and "how's" of it all were much easier after that.