Well, I think it's about how it's presented *and* what the subject matter is. Would the kids have gotten as much out of memorizing the details of physical vs. chemical change as they got out of the hands-on methods? No way!
Math facts are the one exception that I can think of--maybe spelling words, too?--where drill is a truly useful technique for teaching elementary school-aged kids.
At higher levels, you might also need drill for anatomy or chemistry as well. But in elementary school, I really think rote memorization is rarely useful for anything but basic math facts and spelling words.
You do not learn concepts through memorization. It's just too low on the learning pyramid. Better to use higher level thinking skills...and current standardized testing (aka NCLB) means there's no reward for teachers to teach higher level thinking skills.
I think individual schools and teachers generally (though not always) try to do the best they can within the system. But I think the system is deeply, deeply flawed.
