There are many critics to the recent phenomenon known as grade inflation.  The definition is that grade patterns change so that the overwhelming majority of students receive higher grades for the same quantity and quality of work done by students in the past.  There are many possible causes for this, and most critics agree the rise has been traced back to the time of the Vietnam War.  There was an overwhelming sympathy for the many men being called on by their country to go to war.  This led to grades being raised in order to keep men home, in universities, rather than being sent overseas.

Many blame the learning institutions for grade inflation.  It speaks well of a university if they retain their students. In order to do this, these schools believe that giving higher grades will make students more content and less likely to explore other options.  Individual teachers may also be cautious of being too critical of their students’ work, as a lot of colleges and universities mandate frequent student evaluations of faculty.  These evaluations play a key role in decisions involving tenure and promotions.  Many teachers like to give higher grades to please their students, and never reward the truly deserving students.

Stanford University reports that grades have been rising since 1960. Grading practices have been rising at a rate of .15 per decade on a 4.0 scale. This study covered 80 institutions and a total of one million students. The study shows students are studying less and grades continue to increase.

If standards have not lowered, then a trend of increasingly higher marks should be looked at as positive development.  The purpose of school is to better understand the subjects at hand, so this is a reflection of a student’s understanding of the subject matter.  However, there has been much debate regarding who is to blame regarding grade inflation.

This could ultimately be the fault of the community and the parents as well as the governments demanding perfection. These pressures might cause to the teacher to adjust grades in order to hold a stable job position. Overall the schools with the best grades have been known to get more funding as well. It seems only common since business to inflate grades for the sake of the employees and community as a whole.

Grade inflation is cheapening the value of and importance of a college education.  If all the students graduating from a four year college get 4.0, there is no way to distinguish these students from each other.  Many employers then look at job experience.  Thus students are being forced to work while attending school, making it harder for them to concentrate on their goals. 

Possible solutions could be more difficult day-to-day school work. Basically raise the bar on students and demand more work for the better grades. This seems to be unfair if the program has truly not changed in 40 years. Maybe with technology, younger people are evolving and getting smarter each generation. It is possible we are passing lessons on to our youth making them more efficient students. The wealth of technology that is available to young people has grown immensely and has become much more affordable for all American families.

Overall this is hurting the job market. This issue seems to be raising the bar on post graduate education. Seems every generation has to work a bit harder to get paid in a position of power in today’s corporate world.