Easy A's, Less Pay: The Long-Term Effects of Grade Inflation
Join CEPR on February 3rd to hear Jeff Denning, associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at University of Texas at Austin, discuss his research on the long-term effects of grade inflation on student outcomes, including high school graduation, college enrollment, and future earnings.
The PIER Public Seminar Series is designed to explore important questions and insights in education research and policy.
PIER PUBLIC SEMINAR SERIES | cepr.harvard.edu/pier-seminar | #PIERseminar
If you cannot join us in person, the event will also be livestreamed at:
http://cepr.harvard.edu/pier-seminar
This event is accessible, free, and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-seated.
Type of Event: Lecture. Presentation. Question & Answer Session. Reception. Topic: Evaluation and Assessment. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Eliot Lyman. Contact Name: Rachel Tropp. Contact Email: rachel_tropp@gse.harvard.edu. Contact Phone: 2038146238. Registration Required: No. RSVP Required: No.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Eliot Lyman Room, Longfellow Hall.
For more info visit prod-cepr.drupalsites.harvard.edu. University Holiday: Presidents Day
Holiday Calendar
University is closed.
Type of Event: Holiday. Registration Required: No.
Monday, February 16, 2026.
An Evening with Michael Sandel | Askwith Education Forum
REGISTER
Join us for a timely and interactive conversation with one of today’s most influential public philosophers. Drawing on the themes of The Tyranny of Merit, Professor Sandel will engage the audience in a discussion about meritocracy, education, and democracy, and pose questions to the audience to invite dialogue.
Speaker: Michael J. Sandel, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government, Harvard University; and author of The Tyranny of Merit and Democracy’s Discontent, Moderator: Nonie Lesaux, Dean and Roy Edward Larsen Professor of Education and Human Development, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Book Sale, Book Signing, and Reception
4:00 p.m. Book sale. The Tyranny of Merit and Democracy's Discontent will be available for purchase on-site from the Harvard Book Store.
6:30–7:30 p.m. Book signing and reception.
Registration is required. Seating is first-come, first-seated. Once Askwith Hall reaches capacity, guests will be redirected to overflow seating. This event will also be…
Type of Event: Community Programming. Discussion. Forum. Diversity & Equity. Lecture. Topic: Equity and Access. Higher Education. Leadership. Teaching. Learning. Program/Department: Askwith Forum. Who can attend? General Public. Alumni. Faculty. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Askwith Hall. Contact Name: Harvard Graduate School of Education. Contact Email: askwith@gse.harvard.edu. Registration Required: Yes. Admission Fee: Free and open to the public. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Askwith Education Forums.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM.
Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Gutman Library Hybrid Book Talk - Beyond the Doll Tests
In Beyond the Doll Tests, Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy draws on decades of expertise as an educator, school counselor, and leader in equity to deliver compelling insights and practical strategies that address the impact of racism, trauma, and systemic inequities that shape Black students’ experiences in America’s schools. With powerful storytelling and evidence-based frameworks, this essential resource challenges educators to move beyond surface-level inclusion and become active partners in dismantling barriers to Black students’ well-being.
Through case studies, reflective exercises, and scalable interventions, Holcomb-McCoy reveals how the legacy of racial bias—exposed so vividly in Mamie and Kenneth Clark’s historic doll tests—continues to shape educational experiences today. The book offers actionable tools grounded in Black Psychology and culturally responsive practice, giving educators new language and strategies to affirm students’ strengths, foster self-efficacy, and nurture positive identity developme…
Type of Event: Discussion. Diversity & Equity. Community Programming. Reception. Topic: Equity and Access. Early Childhood and PreK. Leadership. Policy. Schools. Teaching. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Gutman Conference Center E1. Contact Name: Myanne Krivoshey. Registration Required: Yes. Featured Event: Gutman Library Book Talk.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Gutman Conference Center E1 and Zoom.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. How Do We Improve School for Students of Color?
In February of 2023, Harvard Education Press hosted a webinar on this same topic. Join us in revisiting this question, in light of the changes experienced in the field of education over the last three years. Hosted by Rich Milner, we will investigate this changing landscape with Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, president of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; Terah Venzant Chambers of Michigan State University; and Nicole Joseph of Vanderbilt University.
Type of Event: Discussion. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Other. Contact Name: Kelly Fattman. Registration Required: No. Admission Fee: Free. RSVP Required: Yes.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Online.
For more info visit harvard.zoom.us. College Access Starts at Birth: Lessons from Rural America | Askwith Education Forum
REGISTER
While rural youth graduate from high school at rates above the national average, they are less likely to attain a post-secondary credential and join the labor force and those who do often leave their communities. During this Forum, panelists will discuss how cradle-to-career place-based partnerships are helping to reverse this trend.
Transformational place-making and population-level change requires collaboration among all domains that affect children and youth from cradle to career–domains beyond the education system, such as health, housing, and out-of-school-time.
Higher education institutions, especially in rural settings, can play a vital role in transforming opportunities for rural youth. Partners for Rural Impact, EdRedesign, and Maya Consulting are co-facilitating the newly launched Place-Based Partnership Leader Cohort for Rural Higher Education Leaders. The cohort, which includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), four-year coll…
Type of Event: Community Programming. Discussion. Forum. Diversity & Equity. Lecture. Topic: Equity and Access. Higher Education. Leadership. Teaching. Learning. Schools. Program/Department: Askwith Forum. Who can attend? General Public. Alumni. Faculty. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Askwith Hall. Contact Name: Harvard Graduate School of Education. Contact Email: askwith@gse.harvard.edu. Registration Required: Yes. Admission Fee: Free and open to the public. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Askwith Education Forums.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM.
Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Gutman Library Virtual Book Talk: Getting Real About Sex Ed
In Getting Real About Sex Ed, Shafia Zaloom offers educators, administrators, and caregiving adults concrete language and strategies for integrating sexuality education into daily practice, beginning with students in kindergarten and carrying through to high school graduation. Zaloom advocates Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), a holistic framework for K–12 classrooms that addresses the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical aspects of sexuality. The book highlights how CSE scaffolds the sexual development of students as it gradually layers in age-appropriate information, skills, and positive values to practice and prepare for safe and fulfilling relationships, as well as how students can take responsibility for their own sexual health and well-being.
Zaloom draws on the latest research and presents real-world scenarios from classrooms across the country that all educators face in developing students’ personal citizenship. With warmth, empathy, and insight, she guides teachers beyond the classroo…
Type of Event: Discussion. Community Programming. Topic: Equity and Access. Leadership. Policy. Schools. Teaching. Learning. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Other. Contact Name: Myanne Krivoshey. Registration Required: Yes. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Gutman Library Book Talk.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Zoom.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Schools and America’s 250th: Patriotism, Pluralism, and Civic Education | Askwith Education Forum
REGISTER
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, questions about democracy, belonging, and civic responsibility are taking on renewed urgency. What role should schools play in preparing young people to engage thoughtfully with the nation’s history, its pluralism, and its democratic ideals, especially amid polarization and deep disagreement?
This Askwith Education Forum convenes scholars and practitioners for a timely national conversation on civic education and dialogue across differences, exploring how schools can foster informed patriotism, democratic participation, and mutual understanding in a complex civic landscape.
Moderator: Eric Soto-Shed, Senior Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Speakers include: Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor, Harvard University; Director, Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, Registration is required. Seating is first-come, first-seated. Once Askwith Hall reaches capacity, guests will be redirected to overflow…
Type of Event: Community Programming. Discussion. Forum. Diversity & Equity. Lecture. Topic: Equity and Access. Leadership. Teaching. Learning. Schools. Policy. Program/Department: Askwith Forum. Who can attend? General Public. Alumni. Faculty. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Askwith Hall. Contact Name: Harvard Graduate School of Education. Contact Email: askwith@gse.harvard.edu. Registration Required: Yes. Admission Fee: Free and open to the public. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Askwith Education Forums.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Gutman Library Virtual Book Talk: Race, Class, and Affirmative Action
In Race, Class, and Affirmative Action, Julie J. Park offers deft analysis of the changes to college admissions and campus life since the US Supreme Court ruled to restrict race-conscious policies in two 2023 cases: Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Park offers clear explanations of the rulings, their historical context, and their implications for higher education policy. She highlights how the Supreme Court still allows campuses to consider the role of race in students’ experiences and that numerous tools to advance diversity in admissions remain.
In this lively, timely work, Park points out the swift and stark post-ruling shifts in campus demographics and grapples with questions of how to push toward a more equitable admissions system. She investigates alternative initiatives, such as test-optional and test-free admissions, percent plans, and others, weighing their merits and drawbacks. She also examines inequality affecting college…
Type of Event: Discussion. Community Programming. Topic: Equity and Access. Leadership. Policy. Schools. Teaching. Higher Education. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Other. Contact Name: Myanne Krivoshey. Registration Required: Yes. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Gutman Library Book Talk.
Monday, April 13, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Zoom.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu.