The Effects of Grade Inflation (with Jeff Denning) episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 25, 2026 · 44 MIN

The Effects of Grade Inflation (with Jeff Denning)

from The Report Card with Nat Malkus

Recently, there has been a lot of handwringing over grade inflation both at the higher education and K–12 levels, but how big of a problem actually is grade inflation? What sort of effect does grade inflation have on student learning? Does grade inflation help or hurt college enrollment? And what impact, if any, does grade inflation have on lifetime earnings?On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions and more with Jeff Denning.Jeffrey T. Denning is an associate professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, and—along with Rachel L. Nesbit, Nolan G. Pope, and Merrill Warnick—is the author of a new paper: Easy A’s, Less Pay: The Long-Term Effects of Grade Inflation.

NOW PLAYING

The Effects of Grade Inflation (with Jeff Denning)

0:00 44:31

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Report Card with Nat Malkus?

This episode is 44 minutes long.

When was this The Report Card with Nat Malkus episode published?

This episode was published on March 25, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Recently, there has been a lot of handwringing over grade inflation both at the higher education and K–12 levels, but how big of a problem actually is grade inflation? What sort of effect does grade inflation have on student learning? Does grade...

Can I download this The Report Card with Nat Malkus episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!