> The implications in this article that strict = effective are flat-out stupid. Perhaps you're right. But what about honest = effective. How often do teachers

> The implications in this article that strict = effective are flat-out stupid. Perhaps you're right. But what about honest = effective. How often do teachers change a grade because parents call in, or because the student complains? Too often. Whether it's from parents or the institution, there are a lot of outside factors that pressure teachers to give good grades even when they are not deserved. No matter which way you put it, getting a bad grade always hurts, especially when good grades are being given in other classes. I think that's one of the reasons that teachers who are "tougher" are looked down upon. People think they're mean, but sometimes they're just being honest and want you to succeed so much that they wouldn't dare give you a grade that doesn't reflect your actual progress. For the same reason, teachers don't want to have this label, so they resort to being "easier" and less honest. This certainly happens at the high school and middle school level, but recent news has looked at grading practices at Harvard. There was a grader who admitted to giving out As that were undeserved, and although I couldn't find that article this one talks about how A is the most frequently given grade at Harvard (while A- is the median) [1]. [1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/04/harvard-grade-inflation-_n_4384848.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/04/harvard-grade-infla...