The Fall of English?

In a recent article, English teacher Cindi Rigsbee says that popular culture, technological innovations, and narrowing curriculum priorities have combined to coarsen students' speaking and writing skills. The "Queen's English is in more trouble than ever before," she writes. "Until someone develops a high-stakes test on the use of the past participle, will anyone really be interested in how well our students are writing and speaking?"

What's your view? Have students' verbal skills declined? Or are they just different? What's contributing to the change? How should English be taught to today's students?