The Education Exchange: Today’s Better Grades Could Mean Tomorrow’s Smaller Paychecks

Grade inflation in L.A. and Maryland points to lower test scores, graduation rates, college enrollment, and future earnings

Photo of Jeff DenningJeff Denning, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs and Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Denning’s latest research, “Easy A’s, Less Pay: The Long-Term Effects of Grade Inflation,” co-written with Rachel Nesbit, Nolan Pope, and Merrill Warnick.

Last Updated

NEWSLETTER

Notify Me When Education Next

Posts a Big Story

Program on Education Policy and Governance
Harvard Kennedy School
79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone (617) 496-5488
Email Education_Next@hks.harvard.edu

Copyright © 2026 President & Fellows of Harvard College