Earlier this fall, Harvard University released a report from its Classroom Social Compact Committee. Among other things, it noted that rampant grade inflation allowed students to regularly skip classes. (The fact that the school, astonishingly, allows students to register for more than one class that meets at the same time probably is not helping.)

Moreover, the ones who are putting in the work and showing up are more stressed than ever, trying to figure out how they can distinguish themselves in the classroom. Amanda Claybaugh, Harvard’s dean of undergraduate education, told The New York Times that in the past 10 years the percentage of grades that were A’s increased to 60% from 40%.

This is not a new problem. It’s been almost a half century since Harvey Mansfield famously started giv

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