Politicking at the PEP

Grading the News on a Curve

This week on Schooled, Deb, Yiatin and Josh unpack Harvard’s controversial move to cap the number of A grades and what it says about grade inflation from Ivy League campuses to New York City classrooms. The conversation explores whether grades still measure merit, how inflated standards shape student expectations, and why subjective grading creates problems for admissions and accountability alike. They also dive into shrinking 3K enrollment, mayoral control, class size mandates, and the city’s growing education budget despite declining student numbers. At the center of it all is one persistent question: if schools refuse to measure success honestly, how can anyone know what’s actually working?

NYC Comptroller Mark Levine Shows Us the Money

As Albany budget negotiations continue to unfold, NYC Comptroller Mark Levine joins Josh, Yiatin, and Deb for a timely conversation about accountability, education funding, and the forces shaping school budgets. Along the way, he hints at changes he’d like to make and offers a serious warning about what the future could hold for education spending.

Finding the Funding

Yiatin, Deb, and Josh lead off this week’s episode with a discussion on other funding streams that schools tap into such as PAs, grants, and Title I, and how that impacts outcomes. Plus, a closer look at a new tax credit for education.

The Untouchable Money Pit

A new eye-opening article came out in The Atlantic about NYC’s education budget, “A Mediocre Public-School Education for Just $40,000 a Pupil [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/new-york-city-schools-budget/686971/?gift=CqWfULavEiD-ADU4cyJ4j4xoXkqfGwpYO_K1ZJSInnI]” that has everyone talking. Josh, Yiatin, and Deb sit with the author and Assistant Editor at The Atlantic, Marc Novicoff, in a candid discussion on how the ballooning budget got where it is today, and why it’s unlikely to change.

Politicking at the PEP

Emotions are running high after the DOE abruptly shelved several controversial proposals that were set for a vote by the Panel for Education Policy this week including the vote to approve a new high school for accelerated math. Deb, Yiatin, and Josh discuss the political overlay and challenges for the Mayor and Chancellor.