Former Atlanta professor says he was fired for refusing to change students' grades
Former Spelman College professor Kendrick Morales joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss why he believes he was fired and what comes next for him in his academic journey.
A former Atlanta professor claims he was fired for refusing to inflate students' grades after they complained his class was difficult.
Former Spelman College Professor Kendrick Morales told "Fox & Friends" Thursday that when he told the school he would not offer his economics students easier work and raise their marks on assignments, the school boosted the grades anyway and later let him go.
"They definitely applied some pressure on me to raise grades above what I thought was reasonable, which I thought was totally against what I was supposed to do," he told host Lawrence Jones.
"I thought I was responsible for setting academic standards and making sure that the grades and degrees the school was conferring actually held its value."
Even with the alternative grades, Morales calculated that 44% of his class would still fail. He said the dismal performance was part of a larger "incentive problem" where if students complained, administrators would ultimately capitulate to pupils who were not motivated to work hard.
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Former Spelman College Professor Kendrick Morales claims he was fired for refusing to inflate student grades. (Fox News/Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Morales admitted he is still trying to determine whether academia is still the right career trajectory for him following the Spelman fallout.
"I thought, in terms of going for an academic position, that I would be able to have autonomy and not have administrators kind of meddle with grades and meddle with the incentive structure that I was trying to put in place," he added. "I'm not really sure if it's viable for me to continue as an academic."
Morales also revealed that he has contacted the Academic Freedom Alliance to weigh his options.
When asked why Morales was fired, Spelman College told Fox News Digital, "At the heart of the Spelman College experience is the academically rigorous program we offer our students. Meaningful and effective classroom engagement is the hallmark of a Spelman education. The College, its administrators, and faculty exercise appropriate judgment in the delivery of our learning activities in order to maintain consistency across Spelman’s campus."
"Spelman College has reviewed this matter and has no further comment on the opinions of this former faculty member," the school added.
Spelman College is the oldest historically Black private liberal arts college for women in the United States.
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Students at the Spelman College campus in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the school is ranked first out of 79 historically Black colleges in the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report.
In addition, the school is ranked second of 196 in "Social Mobility," 15th of 19 for "Most Innovative," and 19th of 36 for "Best Undergraduate Teaching."
The prestigious college also leads the nation in enrolling the highest percentage of Gates Millennium Scholars and is the second-largest producer of Black college graduates who go on to attend medical school.
Notable alumnae of the college include Marian Wright Edelman, Stacey Abrams and Alice Walker.
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