This is up there with the "self-esteem movement" army of academics who boycott red ink to correct their student's work because "red ink is stressful and demoralizes students, while purple, the preferred color, has a more calming effect." Politicians who are not afraid of hurting the delicate feelings of children who earn an "F" are fighting back [From the story]: Last week in Texas, state senators backed the elimination of "no-fail" grading by unanimously approving a measure that would prohibit school districts from forcing teachers to dole out minimum grades to failing pupils. The bill was introduced by Republican State Sen. Jane Nelson, who said the trend toward "no-fail" grading encourages manipulation of the education system.
"These policies are more widespread than people think," Nelson said in a statement issued Tuesday. "I was appalled to hear from teachers who are not allowed to assign failing grades to students. It is often an unwritten rule, but it is happening in many of our schools."