Today's story is about a question schools don't ask out loud enough: What is a grade actually supposed to mean?

We're looking at two connected developments out of California—one focused on grade inflation and the incentives driving it, and another focused on grading reform that's spreading across high-performing districts, even when they avoid naming it directly.

• Don’t blame California’s teachers for inflated grades. Look at school officials (CalMatters, 1/16/26)
• Why some top schools in the Bay Area are rebranding a controversial grading system (SFChronicle, 1/16/26)

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Ryan Coogler made a $368 million vampire thriller with a nearly all-Black cast. Michael B. Jordan delivered a career-defining dual performance. Warner Bros. had the biggest original Black film of the year. And the Golden Globes gave it two awards - one of which wasn't even televised.

Meanwhile, a table tennis movie made $79 million and won Best Actor. A 2 hour 41 minute PTA film about anarchists made $200 million and won Best Screenplay.

Is Sinners bound to get snubbed at the Oscars?

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Today we're talking about a book that's shaped how I think about activism, sacrifice, and what it really means to fight for change: "The Spook Who Sat by the Door" by Sam Greenlee.

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We’d love to hear from you! Email Charles at colorcommentarypod@gmail.com