Participation awards aren’t even good for five-year-old little leaguers, so participation diplomas for high school or college graduates can only be described as disastrous.
Get your children OUT of the System – NOW
I have written several columns in the past about the declining education systems in certain blue cities across the country. In some instances, the test scores were so poor that it was nearly unbelievable. The solutions to these issues are not complicated, but identifying the problems and finding enough people willing to address them is another challenge altogether.
Teachers can no longer give failing grades
To facilitate effective learning, students should be taught rather than indoctrinated. Clear expectations must be established, along with consequences for when those expectations are not met. Currently, the educational system – from kindergarten through college – features teachers and administrators who often act more like social busybodies and micromanagers of others’ affairs than on teaching subjects that will genuinely benefit students in real life.
It is not a teacher’s responsibility to encourage a student to explore their sexuality rather than focus on teaching them how to read or do math. Additionally, teachers should not attempt to conceal their activities from a child’s parents.
In Boston, public school officials have developed a new way to mislead parents about the academic standards their children have achieved. This practice is akin to giving out “participation awards.” However, in this case, schools are distributing diplomas.
The schools in the city have been doing an end zone dance over their 81.3 percent graduation rate, but it is a dangerous sleight of hand because teachers can no longer give failing grades.
Officials are congratulating themselves for the improvement in graduation rates since 2006, when the rate was only 59.1 percent. However, graduation rates that once served as a reliable indicator of students’ academic standards are increasingly becoming less meaningful. This is largely due to schools across the country inflating grades, giving the impression that students are more academically prepared than they actually are.
Standardized test scores provide a more objective overview. For instance, Boston Public Schools (BPS) scores in reading and math on the SAT have remained stagnant while graduation rates have significantly increased.
Student groups are graduating at higher rates, even as their measured performance declines. For example, the graduation rate for low-income students increased by 12 percent between 2017 and 2025, while their math scores fell by 5 percent. Similarly, English Language Learners (ELL) experienced a 21 percent rise in graduation rates during the same period, despite a decline in their reading and math scores of approximately 9 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
Other alarming statistics regarding state exams administered through the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) reveal a similar narrative.
Only about 40 percent of tenth-graders in Boston meet expectations in reading and math, and these numbers have declined since 2019. Less than one-third of the district’s low-income students and fewer than 10 percent of its English Language Learner (ELL) students are proficient in reading and math, according to the MCAS assessments.
The BPS policy contributes to the gap between graduation rates and student achievement. For instance, the district’s credit-recovery programs enable students to retake courses they have previously failed. In 2012, BPS discovered that its online credit-recovery program increased the district’s four-year graduation rate by 4.8 percentage points.
Credit-recovery programs are common in the United States and often lead schools to prioritize graduation rates over actual learning. A 2018 audit of a Brooklyn high school found that 96 percent of make-up courses awarded credits inappropriately.
Massachusetts’ state policy has significantly impacted Boston Public Schools (BPS). Following a 2024 ballot initiative, the state removed the requirement that students pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) to graduate from high school.
Empty Diplomas
The Massachusetts Teachers Association, which played a significant role in supporting this ballot measure, faced penalties for failing to disclose nearly $2.4 million in contributions before Election Day 2024. In the lead-up to the vote, the union argued that linking graduation to a state exam was harmful, claiming that the test “does not truly measure the breadth and depth of our state’s high academic standards.”
It’s not surprising, but disappointing, that the horrible mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, and other city officials are still trying to perpetuate this farce despite knowing the truth. At a press conference, Wu told a bald-faced lie about the inflated graduation rates. According to the Boston Globe, she said this.
“When students feel challenged, they stay engaged. We didn’t get here by lowering any expectations for students who might be experiencing challenges or moving the goal posts and making it easier for people to get by.”
Yeah, you did.
A pair of teachers, also suffering from self-delusion, told the Globe.
First, Marcus Walker, a humanities teacher at Fenway High School, said.
“It’s a positive development if we’re getting more students to graduate. Our students can compete with anyone, and it’s a good thing.”
Will Austin, an education writer and former teacher, chimed in with, “It’s great that rates have increased over the last few years.”
Deranged school officials like these in Boston are deluding themselves and sacrificing the minds of students in the process. These empty diplomas will do nothing for the students holding them, and they will certainly not benefit society as a whole when they are placed in positions they are not prepared for.
Participation awards aren’t even good for five-year-old little leaguers, so participation diplomas for high school or college graduates can only be described as disastrous.
Written by Milt Harris for Canada Free Press ~ March 26, 2026