New standards in schools; a return to common sense

A head teacher on breakfast time television this morning whilst applauding the return of spelling and grammar, lamented the loss of what she thought of as the positives of modern teaching. ie more emphasis on course work.
Does she also lament the fact that since the advent of course work assessment, universities have to coach their new intakes with remedial English and mathematics because modern teaching is FAILING the students. Assessment on course work does not stretch pupils or, for that matter, teachers.
Does she also lament the fact that the UK has dropped down the international league table of educational standards from close to the top to twenty-first or thereabouts in the last thirty years.
Bring back grammar schools!