PUBLISHERS WEEKLY March 7, 2014 Why I Write By Alfie Kohn Is it possible that a hint of self-congratulation adheres to the fact that we writers like to pose this question to ourselves? You don’t see a lot of people holding forth on, say, “Why I Sell Tires.” The assumption is that there’s something uniquely marvelous about the choice … Read More
This Time It’s Different … Again
From Chap. 1 (“Permissive Parents, Coddled Kids, & Other Bogeymen”) of The Myth of the Spoiled Child (Da Capo Books, 2014) Copyright © 2014 by Alfie Kohn [iframe src=”https://www.alfiekohn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/chapter-1.pdf” style=”width:750px; height:800px !important;” frameborder=”0″]
The Trouble With Calls For Universal “High-Quality” Pre-K (##)
February 1, 2014 The Trouble With Calls For Universal “High-Quality” Pre-K By Alfie Kohn Universal pre-kindergarten education finally seems to be gathering momentum. President Obama highlighted the issue in his 2013 State of the Union address and then mentioned it again in this year’s. Numerous states and cities are launching or expanding early-education initiatives, and New York City Mayor Bill … Read More
The Attack on Self-Esteem
Chapter 6 in THE MYTH OF THE SPOILED CHILD (Da Capo Books, 2014) The Attack on Self-Esteem By Alfie Kohn A new idea is hatched; it catches on; it begins to spread; it inspires a flurry of books and articles, conferences and seminars. And then it fades away. The cycle is common in many fields, but I’m most familiar with … Read More
The Roots of Grades-and-Tests
Introduction to De-Testing and De-Grading Schools: Authentic Alternatives to Accountability and Standardization, edited by Joe Bower and P.L. Thomas (Peter Lang Publishing, 2013) The Roots of Grades-and-Tests By Alfie Kohn Most of the contributions to this book focus on problems with either grades or tests. In an article about college admissions published more than a decade ago, however, I suggested … Read More
A Dozen Essential Guidelines for Educators (##)
October 29, 2013 A Dozen Essential Guidelines for Educators By Alfie Kohn To create the schools our children deserve, it’s probably not necessary to devise specific policies and practices for every occasion. Rather, these will follow logically from a few core principles that we devise together. Here’s a sample list of such principles, intended to start a conversation among educators, parents, and … Read More
Encouraging Courage (##)
EDUCATION WEEK September 18, 2013 Encouraging Courage By Alfie Kohn [This is a slightly expanded version of the published article.] Education research doesn’t always get the respect it deserves, but let’s be honest: There’s already enough of it to help us decide what to do (or stop doing) on many critical issues. Likewise, there are plenty of examples of outstanding … Read More
Five Bad Education Assumptions the Media Keeps Recycling
August 29, 2013 Five Bad Education Assumptions the Media Keeps Recycling By Alfie Kohn It very rarely happens that the cover of The New York Times Book Review, which represents some of the most prestigious intellectual real estate in the United States, is given over to a discussion about education. When that does happen, as it did last Sunday, it becomes … Read More
“We’re Number Umpteenth!”: The Myth Of Lagging U.S. Schools (##)
May 3, 2013 “We’re Number Umpteenth!” The Myth Of Lagging U.S. Schools By Alfie Kohn Beliefs that are debatable or even patently false may be repeated so often that at some point they come to be accepted as fact. We seem to have crossed that threshold with the claim that U.S. schools are significantly worse than those in most other … Read More
Is Parent Involvement In School Really Useful? (##)
February 6, 2013 Is Parent Involvement In School Really Useful? By Alfie Kohn When people who write about agriculture or dentistry tackle the important issues in their respective fields, do they try to shake things up? Are they feisty and willing to peer beneath the surface of whatever topic they’re exploring? I have no idea. But I do know that … Read More