Free Republic

Grade inflation is rampant on American campuses. According to a study by Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy, A’s represent 43 percent of all grades awarded today—up from 15 percent in 1960. In fact, an “A” is now the most common grade awarded in college, and 73 percent of all grades are A’s and B’s. The problem is especially acute at private colleges and top public universities, particularly in the humanities and social sciences (except economics). How then, in the face of all this blurring of lines between good, bad, and excellent, can higher education maintain a system of meaningful measures...

When it comes to education, conventional wisdom argues that it’s better to go to college after high school. Conventional wisdom states that an educated society will spur economic growth, that a college degree leads to a higher income, and that America needs to increase college enrollment to strengthen against international competition. However, in George Leef’s essay, The Overselling of Higher Education, he argues that this conventional wisdom has flooded universities with apathetic students, subsequently causing a “deterioration of academic standards, credential inflation and soaring costs of college attendance.” Leef serves as executive director of The John William Pope Center for...

North Carolina Conservative Leadership Conference 2006April 7 - 8Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC In addition to speeches by leading conservatives, hundreds of activists will participate in issue forums led by experts. The issue forums will include: family values, illegal immigration, eminent domain, budget & taxes, education, economic development & incentives, healthcare, Jesse Helms' principles, talk radio, transportation, and "How to be a good North Carolina conservative". Participants will also be able to interact with other conservatives to learn what is going on around the state, and learn how conservative organizations are working to address some of the problem areas....

Report: Tuition waiver for elite high school discriminatory By WILLIAM L. HOLMES Associated Press Writer The state Legislature's offer of free tuition at University of North Carolina schools to graduates of an elite public high school is disciminatory and should be repealed, according to a higher education policy group. Last year's graduating class from Durham's North Carolina School of Science and Math was the first eligible for the tuition waivers. About 80 percent of the 290 graduates are now attending one of the 16 UNC system campuses. Not charging them tuition is costing the state about $700,000. That's a waste...