A Boston-based author and lecturer with an M.A. in Social Sciences from the U. of Chicago, Alfie Kohn has been referred to by  Time Magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades and test scores”.  He has authored more than a dozen books on education, including Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason; The Homework Myth:  Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing; and Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes.
 
As the inside book cover explains, “Punished by Rewards” demonstrates [how] people actually do inferior work when they are enticed with money, grades, or other incentives.”  In his Nov. 2011 article in Educational Leadership, Kohn made his “Case against Grades” by discussing the effects of grading and why it’s problematic, while addressing ways in which schools can delete or dilute grades.

While Kohn preaches about his support in no grading at all, D-E faculty members were asked by Head of School Dr. De Jarnett in his introductory remarks to "take advantage of this unique opportunity to listen and think about how we approach our policies here at Dwight-Englewood, and challenge ourselves to consider alternative, different ways of assessment."