Everybody's a winner at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's school of education. An astonishing 96 percent of its undergraduates receive A's, boasting a nearly perfect average GPA among its 1,400 students of 3.91. Is there something in the water fueling extraordinary intelligence and aptitude in Madison?

Actually, the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute reported that ed school grade inflation is not a problem unique to the Badger State. In fact, looking at all ed schools across the country, the average GPA in 2006-2007 was an impressive 3.11, a big jump up from 2.93 fifteen years previous.

The difference between the grades earned by students enrolled in the education program and those in other programs at Wisconsin's most prestigious university is troubling.

Lowered expectations for college students translate into lowered expectations in the K-12 classroom, where, as one student says, "you walk into the classroom and you get kind of a reality check."