THE HUFFINGTON POST March 3rd 2011 “But I Need to Assign Homework! Look at All I Have to Cover!” By Alfie Kohn A parent wrote me today to express her frustration not only with homework but with the response she hears from teachers when she complains about homework. Even those teachers who are sufficiently knowledgeable and brave to admit that research … Read More
Do Tests Help Students Learn or Was a New Study Misreported?
January 28, 2011 Do Tests Really Help Students Learn or Was a New Study Misreported? By Alfie Kohn The relationship between educational policies and educational research is both fascinating and disturbing. Sometimes policy makers, including those who piously invoke the idea of “data-driven” practice, pursue initiatives that they favor regardless of the fact that there is no empirical support for … Read More
Remember When We Had High Standards? Neither Do I
December 10, 2010 Remember When We Had Higher Standards? Neither Do I By Alfie Kohn “In recent years, parents have cried in dismay that their children could not read out loud, could not spell, could not write clearly,” while “employers have said that mechanics could not read simple directions. Many a college has blamed high schools for passing on students…who … Read More
“Ready to Learn” = Easier to Educate
November 18, 2010 “Ready to Learn” = Easier to Educate By Alfie Kohn The phrase “ready to learn,” frequently applied to young children, is rather odd when you stop to think about it, because the implication is that some kids aren’t. Have you ever met a child who wasn’t ready to learn — or, for that matter, already learning like … Read More
Operation Discourage Bright People from Wanting to Teach
November 1, 2010 Operation Discourage Bright People from Wanting to Teach By Alfie Kohn Education “reformers” have discovered the source of our schools’ problems. It’s not poverty or social inequities. It’s not enforced student passivity or a standardized curriculum that consists of lists of facts and skills likely to appear on standardized tests. No — it’s… teachers. Fortunately, there’s a … Read More
How to Sell Conservatism: Lesson 1 — Pretend You’re a Reformer
October 20, 2010 How to Sell Conservatism Lesson 1 — Pretend You’re a Reformer By Alfie Kohn If you somehow neglected to renew your subscription to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, you may have missed a couple of interesting articles last year. A series of studies conducted by two independent groups of researchers (published in the September and November 2009 issues, respectively) added … Read More
What Passes for School Reform: “Value-Added” Teacher Evaluation and Other School Reform Absurdities
September 9, 2010 “Value-Added” Teacher Evaluation and Other School Reform Absurdities By Alfie Kohn The less people know about teaching and learning, the more sympathetic they’re likely to be to the kind of “school reform” that’s all the rage these days. Look, they say, some teachers (and schools) are lousy, aren’t they? And we want kids to receive a better … Read More
Competitiveness vs. Excellence: The Education Crisis That Isn’t
August 9, 2010 Competitiveness vs. Excellence The Education Crisis That Isn’t By Alfie Kohn “What’s the matter with us?” demands Bob Herbert in a recent New York Times column. “The latest dismal news on the leadership front” proving that we’ve become “a nation of nitwits” comes courtesy of a report from the College Board, he says. “At a time when a … Read More