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2012 Think Twice Reviews

Think Twice is one of the nation's first efforts to serve as a watchdog to review think tank research on public education issues and policies, ensuring that published work meets the quality and standards of university scholarship. As think tank research becomes increasingly important reference sources in public policy debates, media and other critics have called for increased scrutiny to ensure validity and objectivity (click here to see related stories).

The goal of the Think Twice project is to provide the public, policy makers and the press with timely academically sound reviews of selected think tank publications.

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Think Tank Research Quality

Think Tank Research Quality:
Lessons for Policy Makers, the Media, and the Public

Think Tank Research Quality, edited by Kevin Welner of the University of Colorado at Boulder, Patricia H. Hinchey of Pennsylvania State University, Alex Molnar of Arizona State University, and independent researcher Don Weitzman, offers clearly written, jargon-free expert reviews of studies on topics such as vouchers, charter schools, and alternative teacher certification. Friends of The Great Lakes Center receive 20% off phone, fax or mail-in orders...not valid online.

Recently Released

New January 31, 2012 New

Overpaid Teachers Report from Heritage/AEI is Based on Bad Stats and Groundless Assumptions

This report claims that public school teachers are paid 52 percent more than fair market rates and also that teachers are less intelligent than other workers of comparable education and expertise. The Think Twice review of this report finds that it is based on a faulty assessment that relies on "an aggregation of spurious claims.

Press Release Think Twice Review

Reports & Reviews for 2012

Report Reviewed: Assessing the Compensation of Public School Teachers
Publisher/Think Tank: Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute

This report claims that public school teachers are paid 52 percent more than fair market rates and that teachers are less intelligent than other workers of comparable education and experience.

 
Think Twice Review Date: January 31, 2012
Reviewer: Jeffrey H. Keefe, Rutgers University
Keefe’s review finds that the report is based on a faulty assessment that relies on “an aggregation of spurious claims” to make its case. Keefe concludes that the study isn’t merely useless, but that it could lead to ill-informed and harmful policy decisions that could further undercut public education.


Report Reviewed: Charter-School Management Organizations: Diverse Strategies and Diverse Student Impacts
Publisher/Think Tank: Mathematica Policy Research Inc. and Center on Reinventing Public Education
At the heart of this study of charter management organizations (CMOs), is an impact analysis which found that a small number of CMOs boosted middle-school student achievement.
 
Think Twice Review Date: January 19, 2012
Reviewer: Bruce Fuller, University of California-Berkley
Fuller's review of this study finds that though it offers insights into features of successful CMOs, it overreaches when interpreting key findings from the very small, selective subset of CMOs used.

 

Report Reviewed: Gateways to the Principalship: State Power to Improve the Quality of School Leaders
Publisher/Think Tank: Center for American Progress

This report from the Center on American Progress, proposes a range of state policies for improving principal effectiveness and student achievement.

 
Think Twice Review Date: January 10, 2012
Reviewer: Margaret Terry Orr, Bank Street College of Education
Orr's review of the report finds that it ignores existing research on the subject, lacks evidence for the approaches it advocates and sidesteps both state and professional policies that directly address the sorts of problems it purports to remedy.

 

These articles and/or reports are copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of educational issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

 

 

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