Arguing that our schools are currently in the grip of a "cult of rigor"-a confusion of harder with better that threatens to banish both joy and meaningful intellectual inquiry from our classrooms-Alfie Kohn issues a stirring call to rethink our priorities and reconsider our practices.

Kohn's latest wide-ranging collection of writings will add to his reputation as one of the most incisive thinkers in the field, who questions the assumptions too often taken for granted in discussions about education and human behavior.

In nineteen recently published essays-and in a substantive introduction, new for this volume-Kohn repeatedly invites us to think more deeply about the conventional wisdom. Is self-discipline always desirable? he asks, citing surprising evidence to the contrary. Does academic cheating necessarily indicate a moral failing? Might inspirational posters commonly found on school walls ("Reach for the stars!") reflect disturbing assumptions about children? Could the use of rubrics for evaluating student learning prove counterproductive?

Subjecting young children to homework, grades, or standardized tests-merely because these things will be required of them later-reminds Kohn of Monty Python's "getting hit on the head lessons." And, with tongue firmly in cheek, he declares that we should immediately begin teaching twenty-second-century skills.

Whether Kohn is clearing up misconceptions about progressive education or explaining why incentives for healthier living are bound to backfire, debunking the idea that education reform should be driven by concerns about economic competitiveness or putting "Supernanny" in her place, his readers will understand why the Washington Post has said that "teachers and parents who encounter Kohn and his thoughts come away transfixed, ready to change their schools."

Read the Introduction:


In the Media

Clickhere to read a recent article by Kohn posted on Big Think

Click here to read an op-ed by Kohn in the New York Times.

Click here to watch a video featuring Kohn on the The Educator's PLN.

Click here to read Alfie Kohn’s blog post forPsychology Today

Click here to read a review of Kohn's work in the Boston Globe

Click here to read a piece by Maureen Downey on Kohn's work in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Click here to listen to an interview with Kohn on Wisconsin Public Radio's The Joy Cardin Show

Click here to read about Kohn's work on NB (note well) Blog

Click here to read an interview with Kohn featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Click here to read a review of Kohn's work on the blog Adventures in Learning

Read Kohn's April 1st post on The Washington Post's education blog, "The Answer Sheet"

Read Kohn's post on the Huffington Post blog

Read Kohn's Januarypost on The Washington Post's education blog, "The Answer Sheet"

Read interview with Kohn in District Administration


Clickhere to see Feel-Bad Education's selection as a top-ten education book of 2011 according to the American School Board Journal