Couple of charts posted by Prof. Mark Perry caught my eye …
In one post, Prof. Perry charted college enrollment rates and tuitions.
Both slope upward,
Supply and demand ?
Maybe.
* * * * *
Keep the above red line (tuitions) in mind as you glance at the chart below: grade inflation.
The grades’ line also slopes up.
Sure looks like — as tuitions are rising — colleges are dishing out more high grades.
Cause & effect or just a coincidence?
Hmmm
According to Prof. Mark Perry …
Last year, Professor Rojstaczer and co-author Christopher Healy published a research article in the Teachers College Record titled “Where A Is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and University Grading, 1940–2009.”
The main conclusion of the paper is illustrated by the chart below showing the rising share of A letter grades over time at American colleges, from 15% in 1940 to 43% by 2008.
Starting in about 1998, the letter grade A became the most common college grade.
Ken’s Take: Note the Bs, Ds and Fs have stayed relatively constant, but Cs have declined … mirroring the increase in As,
Back when I was in college, a grade of C was referred to as a “Gentleman’s C” …. not too good, not too bad … not a source of pride, nor a disgrace … just right for a gentleman who didn’t want to work too hard.
Think George Bush … and John Kerry.
Now, I guess even gentlemen are getting As.
The Homa Files 