There are different neural architectures for information storage and information processing

This is going to ruffle some feathers. From The Neural Architecture of General Knowledge by Erhan Genç, Christoph Fraenz, Caroline Schlüter, Patrick Friedrich, Manuel C. Voelkle, Rüdiger Hossiep, Onur Güntürkün. From the Abstract.

Cognitive performance varies widely between individuals and is highly influenced by structural and functional properties of the brain. In the past, neuroscientific research was principally concerned with fluid intelligence, while neglecting its equally important counterpart crystallized intelligence. Crystallized intelligence is defined as the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills that are valued by one's culture. The accumulation of crystallized intelligence is guided by information storage capacities and is likely to be reflected in an individual's level of general knowledge. In spite of the significant role general knowledge plays for everyday life, its neural foundation largely remains unknown. In a large sample of 324 healthy individuals, we used standard magnetic resonance imaging along with functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging to examine different estimates of brain volume and brain network connectivity and assessed their predictive power with regard to both general knowledge and fluid intelligence. Our results demonstrate that an individual's level of general knowledge is associated with structural brain network connectivity beyond any confounding effects exerted by age or sex. Moreover, we found fluid intelligence to be best predicted by cortex volume in male subjects and functional network connectivity in female subjects. Combined, these findings potentially indicate different neural architectures for information storage and information processing. © 2019 European Association of Personality Psychology

They are making five claims. Together these claims go against several well-established presumptions.

1) Capability is a function of Fluid Intelligence (as measured by IQ) and Crystallized Intelligence.

2) Fluid Intelligence has received the lion's share of research.

3) Culture is predictive of Crystallized Intelligence.

4) Structural brain network connectivity is predictive of measured Crystallized Intelligence.

5) There are sex differences in brain structure.

Looks like they are trying to be rigorous. However, it is a statistically small population study (though large for its kind), and they are using MRI and fMRI measurements which have a patchy track-record. I take the results as suggestive rather than proven.

The findings are consistent with my preferred model of KNESVBMPC.

Knowledge
Experience
Skills
Values
Behaviors
Motivation
Personality
Capability (IQ, Morbidity, etc.)

All my life, schools (with some exceptions) have been claiming that their purpose is not to teach knowledge but to teach you how to think.

Rubbish. They are different, though related, domains. There are certainly thinking practices to be learned (logic, rhetoric, scientific method, intuition, idea generation, etc.) but you also have to have plenty of knowledge against which to apply it.

They blithely claim that they are teaching you to think critically and rigorously but it is mostly an empty claim. But by making the claim, it relieves them of the onus of having to pick and choose about what knowledge needs to be passed down through the generations.

Knowledge transmission should be equally treated in schools but it is usually done poorly. Schools disavow structure, hierarchy, rote learning.

One of our greatest sources of inequality is that families tend to ensure that an adequate breadth and depth of knowledge is transmitted, especially in recent decades as schools have disavowed that obligation. Privilege ends up replicating privilege, not through wealth but through crystal and fluid intelligence.

Bright (Fluid Intelligence) kids get to school and too often are not provided the knowledge (Crystallized Intelligence) they need in order to succeed. That is something of an exaggeration but it happens too much and perpetuates cycles of inequality and missed opportunity.

Bring back structure, deference, hierarchy, rote learning. And then mix it with the disciplines of logic, rhetoric, scientific method, intuition, idea generation. That equips people of all stripes to succeed to the extent of their abilities.