Maybe it's best pursued in mail.

Yes, the phenomenon of grade inflation is well known and
percolates down to the high school level where there have been
as many as 38 valedictorians at one schoolgraduation.

In the era of children being raised on Mr. Rogers where everyone is
special and above average (Prairie Home Companion) parents have been able leverage and influence teachers. Recently I was told by a retired university professor that at the end of term, the teacher is required to hand out one of those "how am I doing cards" with the
numbers 1 (poor) through 5 (great!) which are reviewed by faculty
or somebody. So the teachers have had to become pleasers.

On this whole subject of everyone being special and
exceptional there is an excellent book which all Americans
should read called "Mediated" by Thomas DeZengotita.
The author writes for Harpers and has published this book on
what he calls the portrayal of the individual as one of flattering
representation. It's narcissism by another name and it has
affected the national psyche.

• Mediated