Have to disagree, at least back then it was the first exposure most kids got to using a computer for work at all. Even if some of the content isn't useful for most kids, it still challenges kids to learn some basic stuff they might not otherwise. I do think it's a shame that it's required even if you already know how to do everything the course teaches, but that could be said about most classes. Everyone needs to know basic computing shit, forcing people to learn Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and some other random apps is a fine way to do that, and those apps aren't going anywhere in our lifetime, nor have they changed in a way that invalidates anything taught 20 years ago. I work with people who use a computer full time for their job and it's obvious they didn't take a basic course when they were in school 20-30 years ago, or any time since. I have nephews that are 11-15, haven't taken anything like that yet and they are totally inept with even basic shit, because it wasn't taught yet and most people don't just learn without instruction.

Your last point about usefulness to a very limited set of jobs is silly considering how much actual useless to 99% of jobs shit they teach in the core curriculum. If we didn't throw all this mostly useless shit at the whole of young society, some future great scientist, artist, mathematician, etc. would rot in ignorance, at least that's the theory. Hard to say if the American education system is working at all though.