When I was a kid in grade school in Wheeling, W. Va., we had to know all 48 States and their Capitols. We also had spelling bees. I don't think grade school students are as well taught today...do you? Hal
Overall, I don't think so. It depends on the school and the teacher, I suppose. I've met some kids who have learned a lot more than I had at their ages, but the credit there could well go to the kid, and to the parents. Overall, I think most of the school budget is spent on things that have little or nothing to do with teaching, and far too much of the time is spent on social and political indoctrination.
As a retired teacher, I can promise you there was very little geography in our elementary (3rd grade) curriculum, sad to say. Our social studies book was so cheesy I could hardly stand it. All about "communities." And mostly communities in Texas. However, my husband traveled a lot for his job, so I tried to work in something about whatever state or country he was in at the time. I had a world map in the room with postcards from all over the world around it. But with all the emphasis on testing, and getting the little darlings to pass the test, geography, and pretty much everything else that wasn't reading or math, was given short shrift. I taught 3rd grade when I retired, but I also taught 5th, 4th, and early on (shudder) high school.
I don't remember if it was third grade but, somewhere around there, we had to learn the states and capitals, and to know where each of the states was on a map of the United States. I had also used a jigsaw puzzle thing that had each of the states, and I can remember that helped. I am not sure if that was something I used at school or if my parents had it, though.
In retrospect, knowing the capitols made for excellent trivia fodder, such as Jeopardy... but not much else.
If life was all about being useful, we'd be guard dogs or pack mules. Come to think of it, we'd all be out of work.
Such as asking someone: How do you pronounce the capital of Kentucky; Loo-i-vul, or Loo-is-vil ? Most choose the fashionable former and few the later but of course, the retort would be, Nope, it’s Frankfort !
I always felt general knowledge was important and a part of a disciplined lifestyle. At one job, one to the secretaries was studying for some class she was taking and started naming the countries in Africa. I fired back with the capital. I got every one correct and she was flabbergasted. I was very good at Trivial Pursuit as well. General knowledge makes you seem smart even if you aren't. I told my children that is you speak and write properly, everyone assumes you are smart, but if you speak and write in an undisciplined manner, all consider you and what you have to say as dumb, even if you are more intelligent than the company with whom you are speaking.
That's because most people won't take the time to listen if the presentation is lacking. Most of us probably know people who are a lot smarter than they seem to be, but we probably wouldn't bother to notice if we were meeting for the first time.
My sons had it hard growing up because this is how I taught them. Many fights because of the way they spoke - 'proper'. I would say to them 'So what?'