During Episode 4’s interview with Joe Feldman (of Crescendo Ed Group), we discuss the history of grading, why it hasn’t changed, and how current grading policies widen opportunity gaps for students of color.

Assessing students is incredibly important, most teachers detest grading, but the purposes of grading have gone far afield from the foundations of a solid education experience.

Joe’s Biography:

Joe Feldman has worked in education at the local and national levels for over 20 years in both charter and district school contexts, as a teacher, principal, and district administrator. He has been the Director of Charter Schools for New York City Department of Education, the Director of K-12 Instruction in Union City, California, and was a Fellow to the Chief of Staff for U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley. Joe is currently CEO of Crescendo Education Group, a consulting organization that partners with school and districts to help teachers use improved and more equitable grading and assessment practices. Joe graduated from Stanford, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and NYU Law School. He is the author of several articles on grading and assessment, the author of Teaching Without Bells: What We Can Learn from Powerful Practice in Small Schools and his newest book is “Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms” He lives in Oakland with his wife and two children.