Commentaries

Diplomas & Degrees Devalued by Grade Inflation

By John Richard Schrock

Published January 12, 2015 at 6:30 PM CST

Here's an image of a fake diploma, created by J. Schafer, for illustrative purposes only.

"Grade inflation" is the idea that teachers are giving students better grades than they deserve. Commentator John Richard Schrock says teachers are facing increased pressure to pass mediocre and even failing students - and this, he says, isn't good for anyone.

Commentator John Richard Schrock is a professor of biology education at Emporia State University, where he trains future biology teachers. He's also a frequent contributor to KPR's Morning Edition.

Commentaries

John Richard Schrock

Schrock attended Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where tuition was $8 a semester hour in 1964, completing a bachelor's degree in biology teaching and a master's in science education. He began teaching in Kentucky before he graduated from I.S.U., and completed his degrees during summers. Schrock taught five years in Alexandria, Kentucky middle and high schools and two years at the I.S.U. Laboratory School before going overseas to teach at Hong Kong International School for three years. Schrock completed his Ph.D. in entomology working on insect ecology and systematics at the University of Kansas and, upon graduation, worked for the Association of Systematics Collections for three years. When the A.S.C. moved to Washington, DC, Schrock took the position at Emporia State University, directing biology teacher training. He was on the state biology committee and closely involved in the Kansas evolution debates of 1999. He writes a weekly Kansas newspaper column on education, produces public radio commentaries, and appears monthly on Kansas television.

See stories by John Richard Schrock