BOSTON GLOBE March 20, 2000 Poor Teaching for Poor Students More Reasons to Boycott the MCAS Tests By Alfie Kohn It is becoming increasingly clear that the MCAS is effectively hijacking the curriculum in suburban schools, forcing teachers to suspend innovative instruction in order to prepare students for the test. Still, the question remains: What about children of color and … Read More
Tests That Cheat Students
NEW YORK TIMES December 9, 1999 Tests That Cheat Students By Alfie Kohn The allegations that some New York City teachers may have cheated to raise their students’ test scores should surprise no one — partly because of similar accusations elsewhere but also because of the enormous pressure on educators to produce better results. We would do well to look … Read More
In Defense of the Progressive School
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL Fall 1999 Vol. 59, No. 1 In Defense of the Progressive School An Interview with Alfie Kohn By Kitty Thuermer A former teacher turned author and lecturer, Alfie Kohn was recently described by Timemagazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores.” We would add to this list “outspoken critic of our … Read More
The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement (**)
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR November 1999 The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement By Alfie Kohn Only extraordinary education is concerned with learning; most is concerned with achieving: and for young minds, these two are very nearly opposite. — Marilyn French I. Common sense suggests we should figure out what our educational goals are, then check in periodically to see how successful we … Read More
First Lesson: Unlearn How We Learned (commentary)
WASHINGTON POST October 10, 1999 First Lesson: Unlearn How We Learned By A Look At . . . Getting Back to Basics Alfie Kohn We are facing an educational emergency in this country. You’ve heard that claim before, of course, but this time there’s a twist: Much of the current crisis is the result of policies enacted in the name … Read More
Tougher Tests = Lower Standards
BOSTON GLOBE September 29, 1999 Tougher Tests = Lower Standards By Alfie Kohn Pronouncements about the need for school reform – along with decrees for how it must be done – issue regularly from Mount Olympus, where, as it happens, no children live. These declarations often contain phrases like ”tougher standards,” ”raising the bar,” and ”increased accountability.” But how do … Read More
Confusing Harder With Better (**)
EDUCATION WEEK September 15, 1999 Confusing Harder With Better By Alfie Kohn Never underestimate the power of a catchy slogan and a false dichotomy. When a politician pronounces himself a supporter of “law and order” or “a strong defense,” you may protest that it’s not that simple, but even as you start to explain why, you’ve already been dismissed as … Read More
The Trouble With “Back-to-Basics” and “Tougher Standards”
SCHOOL BOARD NEWS September 14, 1999 The Trouble With “Back-to-Basics” and “Tougher Standards” By Alfie Kohn How can we fix our failing schools? The question is heard frequently these days, but its premise is incorrect. Once we look beyond the scare headlines, we find that students in American schools are actually doing about as well as ever on standardized tests. … Read More
A Look at Maslow’s “Basic Propositions”
Originally published in Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming: Lessons Learned Edited by H. J. Freiberg (Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 1999) A Look at Maslow’s “Basic Propositions” By Alfie Kohn Abraham Maslow was a bundle of paradoxes. After writing a popular text on abnormal psychology, he turned to — and virtually initiated — the serious study of healthy people. He apprenticed under some of the … Read More
Why Students Lose When Tougher Standards Win: A Conversation with Alfie Kohn
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP September 1999 Why Students Lose When Tougher Standards Win A Conversation with Alfie Kohn If students are to help design their own learning experiences and if teachers are to be free to develop a curriculum on the basis of their students’ needs, schools must buck the “Tougher Standards” movement, author Alfie Kohn says. John O’Neil and Carol Tell … Read More