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I confess to being a little bit frustrated with this piece by @Musa_alGharbi. After describing how the latest research shows partisanship has little-to-no effect on how profs grade, he attributes this happy finding to...laziness. nationalreview.com/2019/09/ideolo…
Fear of anti-conservative bias in faculty grading is a major part of the Right’s critique of higher ed. It is also something that a lot of students are convinced takes place, to their detriment as learners. Evidence that this fear is misplaced ought to be a cause for celebration!
Also: conservatives have insisted for years that they are the victims of rampant partisan grading. Surveys from FIRE, Heterodox, and College Pulse all show this. If the evidence indicates that this fear is misplaced, maybe that should affect how we view other fears by cons.
Emphasis on MAYBE.
My only point is that much of the information we have on higher ed’s anti-con bias is based on self-reports by conservatives themselves. I consider these to be useful starting points, but there is good reason for skepticism.
My only point is that much of the information we have on higher ed’s anti-con bias is based on self-reports by conservatives themselves. I consider these to be useful starting points, but there is good reason for skepticism.
Other kinds of evidence (eg experimental) also exists, of course. And for what it’s worth, I’m quite positive that anti-conservative bias both happens and helps to explain liberal dominance in the academy. I’m just not convinced that it’s as big a phenomenon as we’re told.
