In this provocative and well-researched book, Alfie Kohn builds a powerful argument against "teaching to the test" in favor of more child-centered curriculums to raise lifelong learners. Drawing on stories from real classrooms and extensive research, Kohn shows parents, educators, and others how schools can help students explore ideas rather than just fill them with forgettable facts and prepare them for standardized tests. Here, at last, is a book that challenges the two dominant forces in American education: an aggressive nostalgia for traditional teaching ("If it was bad enough for me, it's bad enough for my kids") and a heavy-handed push for "tougher standards."

But if we move beyond these outdated ideas, what does better education actually look like?

• Beyond "Back to Basics": Discover why traditional, teacher-centered instruction often fails and what a truly progressive, child-centered classroom looks like in practice.
• Rethinking Motivation: Learn why a focus on grades, tests, and other external rewards can actually undermine a student’s desire to learn—and what fosters genuine, lasting curiosity.
• Authentic Assessment: Move past the limits of standardized testing with practical, research-backed alternatives that show what students truly understand, not just what they can memorize.
• Constructivist Classrooms: Explore schools where students are active meaning-makers, exploring ideas and solving problems rather than passively receiving forgettable facts.

“A very important achievement — a powerful, crisply written assault upon the mad excesses of the educational ‘standards’ movement.” -- Jonathan Kozol

“Alfie Kohn forces readers to ask what our children are doing in school and what skills they really need to succeed in life. If you’re a parent or concerned citizen, this book ought to be on your list.”

The Washington Times

Linda Perlstein comments that "the activities that he suggests are wonderful" and that Alphie's is "an inspiring philosophy." The Washington Post

"The Schools Our Children Deserve is a very important achievement, a powerful assault upon the mad excesses of the educational standards movement. It is a remarkable book that should become a classic in the field." -- Jonathan Kozol, author of Savage Inequalities

"The Schools Our Children Deserve forces us to reconsider most of what we thought we knew about education -- about homework and standardized testing, about phonics and what makes a good teacher. I want to hand this book to every parent in America and say, 'Before you send your child to school tomorrow, you must read this!'" -- Deborah Meier, educational reformer and author of The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America from a Small School in Harlem