Argues that competition is inherently destructive and that competitive behavior is culturally induced, counter-productive, and causes anxiety, selfishness, self-doubt, and poor communication.

Drawing from hundreds of studies in half a dozen fields, The Brighter Side of Human Nature makes a powerful case that caring and generosity are just as natural as selfishness and aggression. This lively refutation of cynical assumptions about our species considers the nature of empathy and the causes of war, why we (incorrectly) explain all behavior in terms of self-interest, and how we can teach children to care.

Arguing against the tougher standards rhetoric that marks the current education debate, the author of No Contest and Punished by Rewards writes that such tactics squeeze the pleasure out of learning. Reprint.

So why do we continue to administer this modern cod liver oil-or even demand a larger dose? Kohn's incisive analysis reveals how a set of misconceptions about learning and a misguided focus on competitiveness has left our kids with less free time, and our families with more conflict. Pointing to stories of parents who have fought back-and schools that have proved educational excellence is possible without homework-Kohn demonstrates how we can rethink what happens during and after school in order to rescue our families and our children's love of learning.

Most parenting guides begin with the question "How can we get kids to do what they're told?" and then proceed to offer various techniques for controlling them. In this truly groundbreaking book, nationally respected educator Alfie Kohn begins instead by asking, "What do kids need--and how can we meet those needs?" What follows from that question are ideas for working with children rather than doing things to them.

One basic need all children have, Kohn argues, is to be loved unconditionally, to know that they will be accepted even if they screw up or fall short. Yet...

-Alfie Kohn has a knack for bursting the bubbles that surround just about every school topic imaginable, from putting kids into uniforms to make them behave better to raising kids' self-esteem by rewarding them with stickers and pizza for reading books and doing homework. This collection of previously published essays reminds us that many schools have veered off course in their day-to-day business. And it's a primer that, if taken seriously, can put schools back on the right track.-

--Educational LeadershipThrough his writings and speeches, Alfie Kohn has been stirring up...

Few writers ask us to question our fundamental assumptions about education as provocatively as Alfie Kohn. "Time" magazine has called him'perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades and] test scores.' And the "Washington Post" says he is 'the most energetic and charismatic figure standing in the way of a major federal effort to make standardized curriculums and tests a fact of life in every U.S. school.'
In this new collection of essays, Kohn takes on some of the most important and controversial topics in education of the last few years. His central...

Was denken Eltern über ihre Kinder? Was empfinden sie für ihre Kinder? Wie handeln sie?§Liebe und Eigenständigkeit ermuntert uns, genau hinzuschauen. Das lohnt sich, denn es gibt einen Weg, unsere Kinder respektvoll und in Liebe zu begleiten. Ein Weg, der uns in einen tiefen und klaren Kontakt mit unseren Kindern bringt und uns sogar über die Zeit der Pubertät hinaus mit unseren Kindern zu verbinden vermag.§Doch noch fragen wir uns häufig, wie wir es erreichen können, dass unsere Kinder das tun, was wir von ihnen wollen. Genau hier stecken wir in den Sackgassen gewohnter...

For too long so-called education reformers, mostly billionaires, politicians, and others with little or no background in teaching, have gotten away with using standardized testing to punish our nation s youth and educators.
Now, across the country, students are walking out, parents are opting their children out, and teachers are refusing to administer these detrimental exams. In fact, the reformers today find themselves facing the largest revolt in US history against high-stakes, standardized testing.
More Than a Score is a collection of essays, poems, speeches, and interviewsaccounts...