In “The Problem with Grading,” a May 19, 2023 piece from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the author takes a clear-eyed look at how letter grades shape what students, parents and schools value. The article highlights voices from the field — including a Stanford senior lecturer (’89) who runs the project Challenge Success — to show that grades often become the shorthand people use to measure success.
One striking image from the piece: parents and students who feel relieved or satisfied simply because the final mark is a B. That reaction, the article suggests, can obscure more important questions about what and how students are learning, and about the pressures and incentives created by grading systems. Rather than a neutral record of achievement, a grade can act as a social signal that drives behavior, attention and anxiety.
The article’s argument is understated but urgent: if we want schools to foster deep learning, curiosity and wellbeing, we need to pay attention to what our grading practices reward and what they leave out. The Harvard Graduate School of Education piece — illustrated with a Nate Williams image of a magician’s hat — invites readers to reconsider whether the letter on a transcript is helping students grow, or simply making adults feel better.
Whether you’re a teacher, parent or student, the article is a timely prompt to ask: are we treating grades as the end goal, or as one imperfect tool among many for understanding learning?
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