Review of Brent Staples’ Article ‘Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s’: Critical Essay – Free Essay Example

The article ‘Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s’ written by Brent Staples was originally published on the open page by The New York Times on March 8, 1998. The higher education system of the United States has been a picture of deterioration, especially since the advent of private institutes. With an ever-increasing competition posed by private institutes and rising demands of students for better grades, one of the ways the colleges have been letting their standards down is by showing leniency in the grading process. This article by Staples also revolves around the main theme of current grading practices of colleges, and it strives to inform the general public of the reasons and implications of such a grading system. Though the audience of this article is fairly broad, I believe that the primary focus is the management of colleges and universities as well as their students.

I feel that this is a very convincing article that hits the nail on the head by clearly highlighting an issue that has been plaguing our higher education system. Colleges today are more anxious about increasing their consumers, while students are rather more concerned with getting easy A’s. Colleges today award their students nothing short of A’s, a trend that has affected community institutes and the best of the Ivy League alike. Underlying reasons include keeping less popular courses alive, keeping the consumers happy, and avoiding professors’ negative evaluations by students that now have a big say in deciding the fate of their career advancement. Part-time teachers are the most likely to be affected by this trend. One Ivy League professor confessed that if it were not for tenure, universities would have been free to sell out diplomas.

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Throughout his article, Staples provides evidence that average grades have increased significantly over the last few decades. However, not because the students are working harder. Staples said that “in some cases, campuswide averages have crept up from a C just 10 years ago to B-plus today” (par.2). Staples uses rational appeal to back up his purpose. By mentioning the inflation of grades on campuses, Staples brings awareness to the situation and reinforces with data the facts that colleges have been “giving A’s away” to students. However, there is no proof that these students actually deserved that certain grade. He also supports his thesis when he claimed that “the consumer appetite for less rigorous education is nowhere more evident than in the University of Phoenix” (par.5). The mentioning of the University of Phoenix appeals to the ethical side of Staples’ argument by making this reference he adds credibility to himself and makes it difficult for his audience to doubt him. It also suggests that the inflation of the A’s is present even in one of the most respected educational authorities. By testing the power of the University of Phoenix, Staples is able to establish a connection with his reader because there are many individuals out there who also have an interest in stopping this situation but are afraid to do so or don’t know how to start.

Staples backed up his thesis when he said that “this arrangement rewards students who gravitate to courses where high marks are generously given and punish those who seek out math and science courses” (par.9). At the end of his article, Staples talks about how the grade point average is calculated today, which gives equal weight to all courses. By showing the students’ point of view, the author appeals to the compassionate feelings of his readers, students who seek out more challenging courses have the same grade points as the students who go after ‘easier’ courses. These demonstrate feelings of sympathy and even a little pity towards these apprentices, and by revealing that, Staples is successfully persuading his readers into trusting him. His work is very effective and inspiring at the same time. A well-structured piece of work is worth reading and pondering over.

This article centers on such a significant topic that is still hounding our educational system. Many individuals are well aware of the reasons and repercussions of awarding straight A’s, yet no one is willing to change the process. The ultimate strength of this article is Staples’ straightforward style by which he has boldly highlighted all of these issues. Overall, Staples’ work is a success and eye-opener for every individual who has a conscience left.