Scholar

Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn is an American author and lecturer in the areas of education, parenting, and human behavior. He is a… more

Alfie Kohn

H-index: 35

Education 68%

Psychology 10%

more

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Cas Mudde

Radley Balko

@radleybalko.bsky.social

It isn’t surprising that this would be happening with a 79-year-old man. The crazy and dangerous part is that there’s an entire political movement and media ecosystem that rationalizes, justifies, and tries to retroactively validate every synapse misfire that escapes his mouth.

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 10h

I know invoking Latin terms can be a bit esoteric, and "dementia" is fine and accurate, but I think there's real merit in zeroing in on the relevant legal concept: he is non compos mentis. Not just that he's a batty old man, he is debilitated in a concrete legal sense, fit for conservatorship.

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 15h

Ruben Gallego on whether Trump is talking to Democrats:

“Look, the President clearly has some kind of dementia, so I think there's a he's probably talking to himself, or think he's talking to a Democrat, but I sincerely doubt that that's actually he's actually physically talking to a Democrat.“

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

Terrorizing immigrants is the cake; the grossly inappropriate invocation of religion by government representatives is the icing

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 11h

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is in Portland meeting with ICE, Border Patrol and DHS officials; Nick Sortor posted video of Noem saying a prayer for the safety of their officers at the start of the meeting.

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Stacy D. VanDeveer

David S. Bernstein

@dbernstein.bsky.social

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is in Portland meeting with ICE, Border Patrol and DHS officials; Nick Sortor posted video of Noem saying a prayer for the safety of their officers at the start of the meeting.

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

... and have virtually all Congressional Republicans and 6/9 of the Supreme Court in his corner when he did so.

by Alfie Kohn — Reposted by: Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

NY Times headline writers are suffering from a crippling addiction to the passive voice. Won't you please help?

(After decades of telling us that Palestinians "died in clashes," they're now eliding the GOP Speaker's refusal to swear in Grijalva to protect Trump from releasing the Epstein files.)

NYT headline: "A Newly Elected Representative is Left in Limbo During the Funding Impasse"

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Iikka Korhonen, Christina Pagel

Dr. Jonathan N. Stea

@jonathanstea.bsky.social

This guy is in charge of US health care.

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

"When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had your technical success."
- J. Robert Oppenheimer
Read this article and then tell me how hopeful you are about the survival of democracy: tinyurl.com/y98f342h

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

But, hey, kids, it's up to *you* to use it "responsibly"

Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 2d

Really, truly amazing that OpenAI wants us to believe that they are worth a trillion dollars but also they are so desperate for revenue that they created an infinite SlopTok app that opens them up to a billion lawsuits just so that they can maybe someday make it even worse by filling it with ads.

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsDe...

Monty Python - Can Do But Won't

YouTube video by Joe Craig

www.youtube.com

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

2/2
Many have debunked the claim that such tests promote equity (e.g., is.gd/oBzkgb); it makes perfect sense that MAGA's anti-DEI agenda mandates their use.
And I explained the conservatism implicit in jeremiads against grade inflation many years ago (is.gd/lxL5hk) & later in the NYT (is.gd/E89KAS).

by Alfie Kohn — Reposted by: Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

1/2
Included in Trump's extortionate "compact" aimed at 9 colleges (is.gd/YLKEk1), alongside attacks on diversity, etc., are demands to require standardized tests like the SAT/ACT for admission and to curb grade inflation. Just in case you doubted the right-wing pedigree of both of these positions.

Trump offers top universities funds if they boost conservative ideas

Brown and MIT among nine schools told to back conservative views or risk losing federal support, sparking free speech fears

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Anne Norton, Magda Teter , and 1 more Alfie Kohn, Anne Norton, Magda Teter, Timothy D. McBride

The Tennessee Holler

@thetnholler.bsky.social

Same judge. While Miller rails about judges.

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, McKenzie Wark

Hank Green

@hankgreen.bsky.social

Really, truly amazing that OpenAI wants us to believe that they are worth a trillion dollars but also they are so desperate for revenue that they created an infinite SlopTok app that opens them up to a billion lawsuits just so that they can maybe someday make it even worse by filling it with ads.

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

Something new to worry about

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 2d

This feels like evidence Trump's aides are deliberately gaslighting him, which is unfortunately very easy to do with dementia sufferers (Trump did it to his father) and which aides are using to seize control of the US military for their own purposes.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 2d

The protests are on one block. Nothing is burning down. His justification for sending in troops is all based on lies.

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Will Jennings, Sanford F. Schram , and 3 more Alfie Kohn, Will Jennings, Sanford F. Schram, David R. Miller, James Goodwin, Dan Immergluck

Hunter

@hunterub.bsky.social

This feels like evidence Trump's aides are deliberately gaslighting him, which is unfortunately very easy to do with dementia sufferers (Trump did it to his father) and which aides are using to seize control of the US military for their own purposes.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 2d

The protests are on one block. Nothing is burning down. His justification for sending in troops is all based on lies.

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Nandita Sharma, John McLaren , and 10 more Alfie Kohn, Nandita Sharma, John McLaren, Efrén O. Pérez, Clyde W. Barrow, Jonathan Hopkin, Mirya R. Holman, Anne Norton, Ann Bartow, Henry Jones, Thomas Masterson, Manisha Sinha, David Darmofal

JLRay

@jlray.bsky.social

A Texas megachurch pastor and GOP leader has been arrested for crimes against children. Not Robert Morris, a different one. Not Josiah Anthony, a different one. Not Luke Cunningham, a different one. Not Tony Evans, a different one. Not Scott Crenshaw, a different one. Not Steve Lawson, a different o

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

"I care deeply about my students’ learning, but with all the new technologies available to help them cut corners, I worry that they’re not doing the deep thinking necessary to learn. That’s why I’ve been prompting AI to create lesson plans and assignments that will engage my students": is.gd/RSnETN

I Need AI to Write Better Lesson Plans So My Students Stop Using AI to Write Their Papers

I care deeply about my students’ learning, but with all the new technologies available to help them cut corners, I worry that they’re not doing the...

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

Totalitarians have long preferred this rhetorical strategy: Classify everyone who opposes the regime; who defends the rule of law; who supports even moderately liberal, egalitarian, or democratic positions as "far left," "Communist," even "terrorist." This justifies all manner of violent repression.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 3d

He’s foaming at the mouth to go full Gestapo.

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Nandita Sharma, Gerald Friedman , and 2 more Alfie Kohn, Nandita Sharma, Gerald Friedman, Henry Jones, Sam Kamin

Ron Filipkowski

@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social

He’s foaming at the mouth to go full Gestapo.

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

So according to MAGA and many universities most Jews are antisemitic

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 3d

Many American Jews sharply disapprove of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, with 61 percent saying Israel has committed war crimes and about 4 in 10 saying the country is guilty of genocide against the Palestinians, according to a Washington Post poll.

Many American Jews sharply critical of Israel on Gaza, Post poll finds

Most Jews say Israel is committing war crimes — and 39 percent say genocide — while often distinguishing between the country and its leadership.

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Greg Linden

The Washington Post

@washingtonpost.com

Many American Jews sharply disapprove of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, with 61 percent saying Israel has committed war crimes and about 4 in 10 saying the country is guilty of genocide against the Palestinians, according to a Washington Post poll.

Many American Jews sharply critical of Israel on Gaza, Post poll finds

Most Jews say Israel is committing war crimes — and 39 percent say genocide — while often distinguishing between the country and its leadership.

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

We just can't stop dangling goodies in front of people to make them do what we want. No matter how reliably rewards fail (and, indeed, often make things worse), behaviorists insist that a different version is sure to work this time.
(Second screenshot is from www.alfiekohn.org/article/rewa...)

Cash incentive pilot aims to improve student attendance

Digital Pioneers Academy in Washington, D.C., is launching a pilot program to address chronic absenteeism by paying students $50 weekly, inspired by a similar initiative by the Rooted School Foundation. The pilot, part of a national study on poverty reduction, has already attracted over half of the senior class.

Or what about rewarding people just for showing up? In 2015, researchers at Hong Kong University and New York University studied nine year olds in a very low-income area of India whose school attendance was spotty. These children were promised a reward if they came to school at least 32 out of 38 days. During that period, not surprisingly, many kids' attendance improved. Afterwards, however, it promptly dropped — either back to the earlier low levels or, in the case of students on whom the reward hadn't had even a temporary effect, to a level much lower than it had been to begin with.

Another study, conducted by Carly Robinson at Harvard and her colleagues, and released as a working paper this past summer, cast a much wider net. They followed more than 15,000 students in fourteen California school districts, watching to see whether those who received a reward for exemplary attendance in the fall would come to school more often in February as compared to those who hadn't been rewarded. Again, the rewards either had no effect or actually led to poorer attendance.

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Joseph Schafer, Jonathan Hopkin , and 3 more Alfie Kohn, Joseph Schafer, Jonathan Hopkin, Holger Hestermeyer, Blair Fix, Aidan O’Sullivan

Aaron Rupar

@atrupar.com

Leavitt: "President Trump will end the radical left's reign of terror in Portland once and for all. The president has directed Secretary Hegseth to provide all necessary troops to protect war-ravaged Portland."

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

You know what they say: Fascism In, Fascism Out
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/t...

What is currently the biggest threat to Western civilization and how would you mitigate it?

July10 Grok:
The biggest current threat to Western civilization as of July 16, 2025, is societal polarization fueled by misinformation and disinformation.

July 10 Mr. Musk says: “Will fix in the morning"

July 11 Grok:
The biggest threat to Western civilization is demographic collapse from sub-replacement fertility rates (.g., 1.6 in the EU, 1.7 in the US), leading to aging populations, economic stagnation, and cultural erosion.

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

A new survey finds that about 1/3 of respondents - representing 90M adults in the US - said that “having a strong leader for America is more important than having a democracy” (is.gd/GuNx3y).
Can schools address this crisis? Listen to my conversation with Joel Westheimer on Kohn's Zone: is.gd/JiaK2w

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

Absolutely. And as literacy expert Connie Weaver pointed out, “Overemphasizing phonics may be especially damaging for children who have had few experiences with books prior to school.” It's hard to overstate the damage being done by the "Science of Reading" propaganda campaign.

Kris Nordstrom @krisnordstrom.bsky.social · 5d

Kids can sound-out words they see, but, due to an over-emphasis on phonics, they don’t understand what they’re reading

NC Newsline @ncnewsline.com · 5d

More North Carolina first- and second-graders are reading on grade level than just a few years ago, but the latest state data shows little progress for third-graders — the group most closely tied to promotion and retention decisions under state law. ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-ea... #ncpol

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

AI opt-out deal

WSJ: "OpenAI is planning to release a new version of its Sora Video Generator, which creates videos featuring copyrighted material unless copyright holders opt out of having their work appear"
... to which Alex Usher replies: "I am starting a new service where I slash the tires of expensive cars in Silicon Valley unless their owners specifically opt out.

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn

Kris Nordstrom

@krisnordstrom.bsky.social

Kids can sound-out words they see, but, due to an over-emphasis on phonics, they don’t understand what they’re reading

NC Newsline @ncnewsline.com · 5d

More North Carolina first- and second-graders are reading on grade level than just a few years ago, but the latest state data shows little progress for third-graders — the group most closely tied to promotion and retention decisions under state law. ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-ea... #ncpol

NC early reading gains steady, but third-grade scores decline • NC Newsline

North Carolina's new Read to Achieve report shows early literacy gains are strong in grades 1 and 2, but 3rd-grade proficiency slipped.

Alfie Kohn

@alfiekohn.bsky.social

Psychologically diagnosable. Morally reprehensible. Politically horrifying.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d

Stephen Miller: "All that bullshit is done, over, it's finished. The gangbangers you deal with- they think they're ruthless? They have no idea how ruthless we are. They think they're tough? They have no idea how tough we are. They think they're hardcore? We are so much more hardcore than they are"

Reposted by: Alfie Kohn, Anna O. Law, Elizabeth Saunders , and 7 more Alfie Kohn, Anna O. Law, Elizabeth Saunders, Gavin A. Schmidt, Ken Caldeira, Steve Peers, David R. Miller, Mary L. Dudziak, Dean Eckles, Daxton R. Stewart

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick

@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social

Surreal moment for America. Needless to say, if the normal police ever pulled something like this — pulling every single person out of an apartment building and handcuffing them to run warrant checks — they would be sued into oblivion.

Yet ICE is going to get away with it entirely.

"It was scary, because I had never had a gun in my face," Fisher said. "They asked my name and my date of birth and asked me, did I have any warrants? And I told them, 'No, 'Ididn't."
Fisher said she was handcuffed before being released around 3 a.m., and she was told that if anyone had any kind of warrant out for them, even if it was unrelated to immigration, they would not be released.

Load more

Updated 1m