I disagree. We are expecting students to learn more than ever before. Math is a great example. Their ability to handle even a simple concept like multiplication requires fluency in addition. The ability to learn algebra requires fluency in arithmetic. The ability to learn calculus requires fluency in algebra. Tons of kids pass one grade but emerge unprepared for the next. The author hits the nail on the head: they understand the material at the time, but never develop fluency. Then next year when they try to build on that foundation it has evaporated. Rote learning should begin in elementary. I am thankful that I was required to learn my multiplication tables.
Yes, we need to tailor our teaching to the attention span and abilities of our students, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be using this powerful tool of fluency through rote learning.
It really depends on the goal. From a mathematician's perspective Engineering is still part of the kiddie pool of math. The kind of things some people did in high school mostly though route memorization.
However, for ~98% of the population it's by far the most useful parts of math. Then again you can also say the same thing about just Arithmetic, basic Algebra, Logic and Statistics. So, it's really a question of what your goals are.
There is actually a lot of Math that's been dropped from K-12 education. EX: Understanding logarithms is really fundamental for using a slide rule or understanding floating point arithmetic, but it's not really that useful for most people.
Yes, we need to tailor our teaching to the attention span and abilities of our students, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be using this powerful tool of fluency through rote learning.