Podcast appearances and mentions of jill barshay

Send us a textThis episode might challenge everything you once believed! In this evidence-grounded episode, we kick off with Jill Barshay's March 2025 Hechinger Report deep-dive—“Proof Points: Reading Comprehension in the Classroom” (read it here)—which shows teachers spend under 25 percent of their reading block on genuine comprehension work and almost zero time on text-based talk.Doug Petersen and Trina Spencer—classroom teachers turned education scientists and founders of Language Dynamics Group—use those “proof points” as a launchpad to share why they walked away from one-size-fits-none interventions and built something better:❤️ Their evidence-first origin: witnessing multilingual and economically diverse learners get lost in decoding drills led them to found tools (CUBED, PEARL, DYMOND, Story Champs®) rooted in solid research evidence—and designed to be Implementation Ready, not extra paperwork.

On this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, Jill Barshay, author of The Hechinger Report's “Proof Points” column, joins Mike and David to discuss her recent article on the surprising effects of colleges eliminating remedial courses. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber shares a study examining the impact of Washington's academic acceleration policies on high school students.Recommended content: Jill Barshay, “A decade of data in one state shows an unexpected result when colleges drop remedial courses,” The Hechinger Report (September 23, 2024).Michael J. Petrilli, “‘Kid, I'm Sorry, but You're Just Not College Material' Is exactly what we should be telling a lot of high school students,” Slate (March 18, 2014).Chester E. Finn, Jr., “What's the point of high school?” Thomas B. Fordham Institute (September 5, 2024).Megan Austin, Ben Backes, Dan Goldhaber, Dory Li, and Francie Streich, Leveling Up: An Academic Acceleration Policy to Increase Equity in Advanced High School Course Taking, American Educational Research Journal (2024). Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.

Jill Barshay from the Hechinger Report investigates the outcomes for high-school students who dual-enrolled in college level classes. Does that additional prep lead to more college graduates? https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-dual-enrollment-national-analysis/

In recognition of the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, Kevin Boston-Hill speaks with Jill Barshay, columnist with the Hechinger Report who has done extensive research regarding the achievement gap between black and white students. Among questions discussed is whether schools have become segregated again due to socioeconomic and environmental factors.

Education journalist, Jill Barshay of the Hechinger Report, writes a weekly column about education research called “Proof Points.” She joins KQED's Ki Sung to discuss her latest piece about phonemic awareness and why this important skill, that's at the root of learning how to read, is so hotly debated.

Jill Barshay, from the Hechinger Report joins Debbie Monterrey and Tom Ackerman discussing the problem world wide with math and the pandemic to blame for it.

Few concepts in education and performance psychology are as universally accepted as that of the power of a growth mindset. Does that mean the research is conclusive and settled? Not exactly. Amy and Mike invited journalist Jill Barshay to dig into an unexpectedly controversial question–does growth mindset matter? What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What is growth mindset? 2. How new is the concept of growth mindset? 3. What is the research evidence for growth mindset? 4. Is the science behind growth mindset universally accepted?  5. Should growth mindset be taught? MEET OUR GUEST Jill Barshay writes the weekly “Proof Points” column about education research and data, covering a range of topics from early childhood to higher education. She taught algebra to ninth-graders for the 2013-14 school year. Previously, Barshay was the New York bureau chief for Marketplace, a national business show on public radio stations. She has also written for Congressional Quarterly, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the Financial Times, and appeared on CNN and ABC News. She was a 2016-17 Spencer Fellow in Education Reporting. In 2019 she received the American Educational Research Association's award for excellence in media reporting on education research. A graduate of Brown University, Barshay holds master's degrees from the London School of Economics and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Follow Jill by subscribing to the Proof Points newsletter at https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/. LINKS Does growth mindset matter? The debate heats up Should taxpayers and schools invest in ‘growth mindset' programs? Growth mindset guru Carol Dweck says teachers and parents often use her research incorrectly Praise strategies and results, not effort alone, she says Thriving under pressure: The effects of stress-related wise interventions on affect, sleep, and exam performance for college students from disadvantaged backgrounds RELATED EPISODES BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS HELPING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE HOW TO BECOME A RIDICULOUSLY EFFECTIVE STUDENT ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.  

Jill Barshay, Education reporter The Hechinger Report joins Megan Lynch discussing the recent report that says one in five community college students are still in high school.    © Tori Lynn Schneider/Tallahassee Democrat via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Kevin Boston-Hill has an in-depth conversation with Jill Barshay, Senior Reporter at The Hechinger Report, about the impact of High Dosage Tutoring and Virtual Tutoring on our students and those who provide the service.

The federal government is pushing school districts to spend 20% of the $122 billion in relief funds to “catch children up” academically. Many are turning to tutoring as a way to help students after months of disruption from the pandemic. Research shows “high-dosage” tutoring is particularly promising: Students and their tutor meet every day, usually in school. The tutors are specially trained, and there is a set curriculum. All these things can create logistical challenges. Jill Barshay, a senior writer for The Hechinger Report and the author of its Proof Points column, has been looking at tutoring research. She found about half of all school districts are using tutoring programs, but not all follow best practices.  On this EWA Radio episode, Jill explains her work, why students don't log in for online help, who some of these online tutors are and how she looks for “good news” stories in education research.

The federal government is pushing school districts to spend 20% of the $122 billion in relief funds to “catch children up” academically. Many are turning to tutoring as a way to help students after months of disruption from the pandemic. Research shows “high-dosage” tutoring is particularly promising: Students and their tutor meet every day, usually in school. The tutors are specially trained, and there is a set curriculum. All these things can create logistical challenges. Jill Barshay, a senior writer for The Hechinger Report and the author of its Proof Points column, has been looking at tutoring research. She found about half of all school districts are using tutoring programs, but not all follow best practices.  On this EWA Radio episode, Jill explains her work, why students don't log in for online help, who some of these online tutors are and how she looks for “good news” stories in education research.

As parents try to provide the best learning opportunities for their children, Kevin Boston-Hill speaks with education journalist Jill Barshay about the state of gifted and talented programs throughout the country as well as in New York. It seems the biggest question is how to come up with a set of criteria that is equitable and gives everyone an opportunity to be recognized.

When it comes to reading, America's students are struggling. And the pandemic has only made a tough situation harder for those kids who were already most at risk of falling behind. Jill Barshay of The Hechinger Report – who coordinated a reporting project with five other newsrooms – explains how the pandemic shutdown exacerbated the nation's literacy crisis. She also probes the mystery behind a pre-COVID slide in reading achievement, and discusses new research that found one of the most widely used methods of literacy instruction was largely ineffective. Barshay is joined by Rebecca Griesbach of the new Alabama Education Lab at AL.com, who shares insights from her local reporting for the project, including why the state is investing heavily in adding instructional aides to support high-need readers. Plus: what are some red flags reporters should watch for when it comes to district programs intended to boost reading scores? And what are smart questions to ask teachers and families to get underneath the challenge to improve literacy?

When it comes to reading, America's students are struggling. And the pandemic has only made a tough situation harder for those kids who were already most at risk of falling behind. Jill Barshay of The Hechinger Report – who coordinated a reporting project with five other newsrooms – explains how the pandemic shutdown exacerbated the nation's literacy crisis. She also probes the mystery behind a pre-COVID slide in reading achievement, and discusses new research that found one of the most widely used methods of literacy instruction was largely ineffective. Barshay is joined by Rebecca Griesbach of the new Alabama Education Lab at AL.com, who shares insights from her local reporting for the project, including why the state is investing heavily in adding instructional aides to support high-need readers. Plus: what are some red flags reporters should watch for when it comes to district programs intended to boost reading scores? And what are smart questions to ask teachers and families to get underneath the challenge to improve literacy?

In this episode of Leading By History, Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul talks with educational journalist Jill Barshay to dig into some of her recent articles and the state of bias in K-12 classrooms. This discussion is one that will show the importance of anti-racist and anti-bias education and how even our most vulnerable students (those in K-2 education) can be in danger when teachers are not trained in culturally responsible approaches to instruction. If you want to make a change in our current state of education - start with this episode and chart a plan for change where you can make the biggest impact. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/leadingbyhistory/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/leadingbyhistory/support

In this episode you will hear:   (15:25) In this week’s news segment, an article from The Hechinger Report “Poll Nearly half of parents don’t want their kids to go straight to a four-year college”, by Jill Barshay. Fewer American parents are dreaming of sending their kids off to a four-year college immediately after they graduate from high school, signaling both a deepening political divide over the value of higher education and a shift in public sentiment toward career training.     (44:30) We’re in chapter 169 of 171 Answers – why it is important to utilize your advisor and their knowledge.   (58:04) Jennifer from Oklahoma wants to know how her son’s limited time that is dedicated to football will look to admissions officers, even though he is not interested in playing at the college level.   (01:17:47) Mark kicks off his interview with Mark Kantrowitz -The New Simplified FAFSA – Part 1 of 4   (01:28:58) Recommended resource: Mark’s favorite book if you want a comprehensive book to cover all things money related with paying for college: Paying for College, 2021: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College   No College Spotlight this week   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . Music is by SENA HERO/Victor-Alan Weeks. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! To access and best utilize the transcripts of each podcast, please do the following: Go to  Click the Transcripts tab, from the top menu by the Episodes tab Click on the transcript for the specific episode you are interested in, just click on the image or by the word “Transcript” You will see a Share icon, a download option, a link to Apple podcast and you will see a magnifying glass Use the magnifying glass to search for any word. If that word was used in the episode, it will show up, highlighted in yellow. You will also see a timestamp so you can see the exact minute and second this word was spoken. If you click the word highlighted in yellow, the podcast player will start playing right at that word. You can stop it from playing by clicking the pause button.  Note: The transcription accuracy is about 90%, so you will see some spelling errors and errors in translation going from voice to print. We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"  

This week's episode of Create the Village asks the question, “Are we living through a temporary bubble where low-income children stop attending school or underperform, or are we seeing a trend that will live with us for decades?”Jill Barshay and Egbert Perry discuss the barriers to educational attainment for children from modest-income households during the pandemic and the lasting impact of a lost generation of students.Barshay is a staff writer and editor who writes the weekly “Proof Points” column about education research and data for Hechinger Report. Topic: During a worldwide pandemic, educational contrast between wealthy and modest-income families and between the races.Select readings include:https://hechingerreport.org/white-and-female-teachers-show-racial-bias-in-evaluating-second-grade-writing/https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-black-college-enrollment-sharply-down-during-covid-summer-of-2020/https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-how-deep-coronavirus-school-budget-cuts-are-expected-to-harm-student-achievement/https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-survey-reveals-stark-rich-poor-divide-in-how-u-s-children-were-taught-remotely-during-the-spring-school-closures/https://hechingerreport.org/a-decade-of-research-on-the-rich-poor-divide-in-education/https://hechingerreport.org/another-way-to-quantify-inequality-inside-colleges/

In this episode you will hear: (06:12) In this week’s news segment, an article from the Hechinger Report “When women studied with women, they persisted, study finds”, by Jill Barshay. A Swiss experiment involving more than 600 college students and 150 study groups found that the gender composition of the group impacted how well women performed.   (22:45) We’re in chapter 147 of 171 Answers and we’re discussing college payment plans. What are they? How do they work and how do they help?   (33:52) This week’s bonus content is part 2 of 2 on how colleges use waitlists. Mark builds off his insights last week where he shared two ways waitlists are used by sharing a few additional ways wait lists are used. Mark also talks about deferrals. What are deferrals, how are they different from waitlists and what should I do if I am deferred?   (58:55) Mark kicks off his interview with Dr. Lisa Rouff in ‘Careers in Mental Health Therapy’. This is a two-part interview and then Dr. Rouff will do another two-parter on mental barriers that keep students from functioning at their peak performance.   (01:06:43) Recommended resource: A non-profit organization that serves as an accrediting agency to validate the quality of academic program in areas like engineering, computer science, applied and natural sciences for associates, bachelors and masters programs   (01:17:20) College spotlight: Cornell College in Mt Vernon, Iowa ()   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! To access and best utilize the transcripts of each podcast, please do the following: Go to  Click the Transcripts tab, from the top menu by the Episodes tab Click on the transcript for the specific episode you are interested in, just click on the image or by the word “Transcript” You will see a Share icon, a download option, a link to Apple podcast and you will see a magnifying glass Use the magnifying glass to search for any word. If that word was used in the episode, it will show up, highlighted in yellow. You will also see a timestamp so you can see the exact minute and second this word was spoken. If you click the word highlighted in yellow, the podcast player will start playing right at that word. You can stop it from playing by clicking the pause button.  Note: The transcription accuracy is about 90%, so you will see some spelling errors and errors in translation going from voice to print. We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

Wir leben in immer schnelleren Zeiten. Um hier nicht den Anschluss zu verlieren, müssen wir auch unsere Informationskanäle beschleunigen: Soziale Medien, Videos, Newsfeeds... Bücher sind da ein überflüssiger Anachronismus und haben im 21. Jahrhundert keinen Platz mehr. Oder doch? In dieser Episode provoziere ich wieder zum Widerspruch. Was sind Daten und was ist Information? Braucht man in einer (angeblich) schnellen Zeit wirklich schnellere Medien, oder ist die Krise in der wir stecken vielleicht eine Folge dieses Irrtums? Information ist »irgendein Unterschied, der bei einem späteren Ereignis einen Unterschied macht«, Gregory Bateson (zitiert aus K. P. Liessmann, Theorie der Unbildung) Was ist das Signal/Rausch-Verhältnis moderner Medien? Gibt es überhaupt News, und wenn ja, helfen uns diese weiter? Vermissen wir irgendetwas, oder ist fear of missing out schlicht eine Marketing-Strategie um uns Unsinn zu verkaufen und abhängig zu machen? Welche Rolle spielt das Buch in dieser Gemengelage und in welcher Form sollten wir es lesen? Referenzen Andere Episoden Episode 2: Was wissen wir? Episode 9: Abstraktion: Platos Idee, Kommunismus und die Zukunft Episode 16: Innovation und Fortschritt oder Stagnation? Fachliche Referenzen Konrad Paul Liessmann, Theorie der Unbildung, Piper (2008) Douglas Rushkoff, Team Human (2019) Sherry Turkle, Alone Together, Basic Books (2017) Tristan Harris, How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Magician and Google Design Ethicist The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens, Scientific American (2013) Lisa Allcott, Reading on-screen vs reading in print: What's the difference for learning? (2019) Jill Barshay, Evidence increases for reading on paper instead of screens, Hechinger Report (2019)

Jill Barshay discusses increased bullying at schools on KPFK's Deadline L.A. by The Hechinger Report - Andre Perry

Today we are going to talk about a topic that I bet you and your high school senior have not given any thought to.  And yet, it’s a topic that you and your high school senior have done nothing but think about for the past year or so, just from a different perspective.  That topic is grades.  Or more precisely, today’s topic is grading practices, which is not exactly the same as your kid’s grades.  Probably the most you have thought about your kid’s high school’s grading practices is whether the school uses a weighted system for figuring a grade point average (GPA)--that all-important GPA that might get your kid into a great college or keep him or her out of one.  There has been a lot of debate about that in the past few years, with no real resolution pro or con.  And, certainly, there has been talk among your kid’s friends (and perhaps your friends, too) about which teachers are easy graders and which teachers are hard graders and whether your kid should select high school electives accordingly.  Well, high school is essentially over, and your kid is going off to college.  How much thought have you both given to the grading practices at the colleges on his or her list?  Yes, those colleges your kid just applied to.  It’s not too late to start thinking now—before your kid makes a final choice in the spring. 1. Some Background When Marie and I wrote our fantastic book How To Explore Your College Options: A Workbook for High School Students (available at Amazon and a perfect gift for any younger kids you still have at home), we said that kids and their parents need a lot of information about colleges before deciding whether to put a specific college on the kid’s list of college options.  We also said that most of you never get most of the information you need--which is a shame, because it’s hard to make a life-changing decision without having all of the information that is available to you.  The book explains the 52 questions that your kid really should get answers to before deciding whether to apply to a college--much less actually enroll there.  Those questions cover a wide range of categories of information about the college: History and Mission Location Enrollment Class Size Academics Schedule Housing Security Measures Activities and Sports Admission Practices Cost In the section on Academics, we ask this, among other questions:  Does the college have a traditional numerical or letter grading system for assignments, exams, and final course grades?  If no, jot down the way that students are graded (e.g., with written narrative evaluations where professors comment on strengths and weaknesses). Here is what we said in the book to explain this question: We bet that grading practices are not something most students consider before choosing a college—perhaps because they assume that colleges are quite traditional when it comes to awarding final course grades.  Most colleges do, in fact, use some kind of numerical scale (typically, with a 4.0 as an A) or letter scale (typically, from A through F).  These traditional grading practices might seem just fine to you.  However, there are some colleges that are anything but traditional when it comes to evaluating student progress.  For example, take Hampshire College (an excellent and innovative private college in Amherst, Massachusetts), where students receive written narrative evaluations from professors on their assignments and as their final course grades.  No numbers and no letters!  Or, take Bennington College (a great private college in Bennington, Vermont), where students receive narrative evaluations at the end of each course, but may request letter grades; students interested in graduate school are encouraged to request letter grades for at least two years so that a GPA can be calculated for their graduate school applications.  Colleges that use narrative evaluations instead of traditional grades praise their value in teaching their students more about their own strengths and weaknesses, in getting their students to focus on their learning instead of on their grades, and in building better and more stimulating relationships between their students and their professors.  That’s probably something you never thought about before. Well, Marie, if we had written the book today, we could have added some additional innovative grading practices that a relatively small number of colleges are using, ones that might seem quite attractive to 2017-2018 current crop of applicants.  The question here is not necessarily whether your kid would have applied or would not have applied to a college because of its innovative grading practices, but rather whether he or she (and you) should weigh those grading practices in the scale when you all are ready to make a final choice of a college this spring.  Grades will continue to be a big part of college life for your kid--just as they were in high school.  This is especially true, as Bennington College knows, if your kid intends to go on to graduate school, medical school, or law school.  And, by the way, that’s true whether graduate school comes right after the undergraduate years or, in fact, many years later.  Those undergraduate grades will matter.  So, let’s look at a couple of new grading practices, and you think about what they might mean for your kid. 2. No More F’s Let’s start at the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI).  Given that UMPI is in northern Maine near the Canadian border and that it enrolls only about 1,200 students, my guess is that your kid has not applied there and that many of you have never heard of it, though it was founded over 100 years ago and is one of the seven campuses in the public University of Maine System.  UMPI was in a situation not unlike a number of other public universities:  a remarkably low 11 percent graduation rate in the traditional four years and only a 30 percent graduation rate in six years and a location in a county that was losing population just when its region needed more college graduates to fill jobs that required a college degree. An article in The Hechinger Report, written in January by Robbie Feinberg, education reporter for Maine Public Radio, has a catchy headline:  “In rural Maine, a university eliminates most Fs in an effort to increase graduation rates.”  Mr. Feinberg writes: One of the biggest changes has been the near-elimination of the failing grade. In most classes, if students fail a test or project, they can redo it until they’ve proven they know the material. If students are still failing at the end of the semester, many won’t receive an F, but instead a grade of “not proficient” or NP. Under the system, students then sign a contract with their professor outlining the work they need to do over the next 45 days to boost that grade to a passing mark. University officials said the system doesn’t work for everyone; some students still end up with F’s. But they hope the added flexibility will help students pass classes the first time so they don’t have to spend extra time and money to retake them. . . .  [UMPI] President Raymond Rice said he’s most encouraged that about 60 percent of students who received a “not proficient” grade eventually converted it to a passing mark. (quoted from the article) Not having to spend time and money to retake courses has to be a game-changer for a lot of students--certainly for that 60 percent.  And, clearly, keeping F’s out of figuring into a cumulative GPA for one’s undergraduate years has got to be a game-changer for any student who cares about his or her GPA (especially anyone interested in graduate school).  We actually did something similar at the high school that Marie and I co-founded in Brooklyn, where we gave a grade of NC (no credit) to kids who would otherwise have failed; so, they didn’t get credit for the course, but they didn’t have the deadly weight of an F pulling down their GPA forever, either.  I think it “saved a lot of lives,” and I imagine it could be having a similar effect at UMPI.  While the implementation of the new system is not going perfectly at UMPI (you can read Mr. Feinberg’s full article for the details), the policy about giving F’s only as a last resort is one that I find very persuasive.  And, if I had a child getting ready to go to college (not that I would expect that child to get an F--ever), this is a policy that would still make me happy, as a parent.  3. How To Earn an A Appearing in The Hechinger Report in January (as well as in U.S. News & World Report) was a column by Jill Barshay about a new grading practice at the University of Michigan, that state’s truly excellent public flagship university.  Ms. Barshay writes: At the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, about 8,000 students have earned their ordinary course grades in an unusual way. They start out the semester with a zero, but each has the opportunity to earn an A by racking up points. The professor determines how many points each assignment or test is worth, and there are various ways to get to an A. If students botch an assignment, they can try something else. Each student can track his or her point tally online and see options for earning more points. Since developing this system, named “GradeCraft,” five years ago with two colleagues, education professor Barry Fishman gleefully admits he’s awarding many more A’s. He estimates that he’s doling out A’s to 80 percent of his students now, compared with 50 percent or 60 percent beforehand. But, he claims, his students are working a lot harder. “Colleagues say I’m not rigorous enough,” said Fishman. “I think rigor should be about how challenging the material is, not how hard it is to achieve a certain outcome.” In surveys conducted by GradeCraft’s inventors, students reported that they worked harder and felt more in control of their class performance. . . . Fishman argues that conventional grading systems can undermine learning. That’s because if you fail the midterm, and it’s worth 30 percent of the final grade, you might realize that you’ll never be able to claw your way back up to an A, and stop trying. “You moderate your behavior and try less hard to maintain a B average. You see it all the time,” said Fishman. The opportunity to earn an A, even late in the semester, keeps students engaged, Fishman argues. And it encourages students to take risks, knowing that they can repair the damage later if they fail at first. In one undergraduate class, Fishman offers a menu of 1.4 million points. Students need to reach 900,000 to get an A. “You could never earn a good grade just by doing dumb stuff,” he said. In another graduate seminar, Fishman assigns only one paper. But students can revise and resubmit it over and over again to earn an A. (quoted from the article) For the gaming-like history of GradeCraft’s development and for some perspectives by professors who don’t like it, read Ms. Barshay’s full column.  Nonetheless, I have to say that this grading practice seems pretty appealing to me:  the harder you work, the better grade you are going to get.  Perseverance is rewarded.  Clearly, learning takes place.  Is this system appealing to your kid?  If your kid applied to the University of Michigan, he or she should know that about 100 professors in 28 programs and departments there have tried GradeCraft and have used it more than once.  Would that make the University of Michigan a more attractive option than another great public flagship university?  It might. 4. The Moral of the Story The moral of the story today is that grading practices can be very different--way more different than you and your high school senior probably thought.  And it’s not too late to find out whether the colleges your kid applied to have done anything innovative on this topic--before you all make a final decision later this spring about where to enroll.  What have you got to lose? Find our books on Amazon! How To Find the Right College: A Workbook for Parents of High School Students (available as a Kindle ebook and in paperback) How To Explore Your College Options: A Workbook for High School Students (available in paperback) Ask your questions or share your feedback by... Leaving a comment on the show notes for this episode at http://usacollegechat.org/episode151 Calling us at (516) 900-6922 to record a question on our USACollegeChat voicemail if you want us to answer your question live on our podcast Connect with us through... Subscribing to our podcast on Google Play Music, iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn Liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter Reviewing parent materials we have available at www.policystudies.org Inquiring about our consulting services if you need individualized help Reading Regina's blog, Parent Chat with Regina

In the final episode of the series, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson discuss one of the most important negotiations many of us encounter: bargaining for our own salaries. Guests this week include Columbia Business School professor Aaron Wallen, human resources expert Greta Green-Gentile, and employment negotiator Jotham Stein.

In Episode 9, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson discuss when and how you should negotiate with children. Like it or not, they know the basic rules of haggling almost from birth. We hear from child psychologist Mark Sossin and Lt. Jack Cambria, of the NYPD hostage negotiation team.

In Episode 8, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson reveal the tactics you should know when buying and/or selling real estate. It turns out these transactions can be some of the trickiest, and most emotional, you'll ever face. Their guests are real estate agents Melissa Chen and Sam DeFran.

In Episode 7, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson examine the particular challenges and advantages women have when they go into a negotiation. They also consider what men should keep in mind when facing a female negotiator.

In Episode 6, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson give you tips on how to close a negotiation and get the best overall deal. Their guest this week is Lt. Jack Cambria, who heads the NYPD's hostage negotiation team.

In Episode 5, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson discuss how to haggle with jerks, liars, and stubborn mules. Their guest this week is Columbia Business School's Donna Hitscherich.

In Episode 4, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson discuss how the physical setup of a negotiation, including the room, the refreshments, and a timed deadline, can help you get what you want. Their guest this week is veteran diplomat Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

In Episode 3, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson discuss several key persuasive techniques you can use in the heat of any negotiation. Their guest this week is H. Rodgin Cohen, a legendary corporate negotiator.

In Episode 2, business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson discuss crucial things to do BEFORE you start batting numbers around. Their guest this week is Columbia Business School negotiation professor Aaron Wallen.

Episode 1. Business journalists Jill Barshay and Seth Stevenson bring you a series of short podcast designed to make you a better negotiator, whether you're brokering big deals or haggling at the swap meet. In the first episode, they discuss who should set the opening price, with a little help from Duke behavioral economics professor Dan Ariely.