Isn't this the type of attitude that is giving cover to the types of actions the OP mentions, i.e. throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

It’s not the intellectuals who are pushing standards down. High standards inherently reject people, that’s inherent to the concept. The push for ever higher percentage of the population to get degrees means the average student keeps getting worse, as fewer of them are really seeking to be educated vs get a piece of paper. Public schools are pushed to raise graduation rates due to political pressure and higher education is ultimately a business and then responds to those forces.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Educatio...

That's a completely non-sensical take.