Grammar and Writing

"Nevertheless, it is important at the very outset to recognize that the study of grammar does not lead to improved writing," (Williams 173). Over the course of our time spent teaching writing, one of the most sensible components seems to be the incorporation of grammar into writing curriculum. After all, if a writer has valuable concepts to offer, they can make as many grammatical errors as needed, right? According to what I have been taughy my whole life, this theory that studying grammar doesn't lead to better writing has (kind of) shaken my world up. I understood grammar to be an important communicative tool. If sentences are jumbled up and punctuaion confusing, how can the writer, no matter how brilliant the concept, get their idea across effectively?

In the next subsection of our text, Williams poses the questions, "What role does grammar really play in writing performance? And how does one teach grammar effectively?" Both questions are critical at this point in my (our) education. Over the years, writing techniques have been invented and thrown out, to arrive at the current writing destination: cognitive grammar. "Called cognitive grammar, it helps us understand some of the issues writers face when producing text, but it has no connection whatsoever with improving writing," (Williams 174). I have a variety of questions stemming from this section of the book.
1. If cognitive grammar helps us understand writers' issues, then can't we find some way to use that to help us to help them? Just because it hasn't been done yet are we beng lazy, rather than innovative and creative?
2. If a grammatical (and in a sense writing) tool does not accomplish the purpose of improving writing, which is our form of written communication, then why are we still using it? Surely there must be some other, better way!

The scope of this dilemma seems daunting, at best. Yes, I understand what the text says regarding grammar education having no correlation with improved writing, but that doesn't satifsfy me. Instead of settling for the status quo, won't someone step up and find a better way?