2010 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. It is a collaboration of the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State University and the Education and the Public Interest Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is funded by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and practice.
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Recently Released
March 17, 2010
Press Release:
Think Twice Review:
Document Reviewed:
Reports & Reviews for 2010
| Report Reviewed: | The Shaping of the American Mind: The Diverging Influences of the College Degree and Civic Learning on American Beliefs |
| Publisher/Think Tank: | Intercollegiate Studies Institute |
This report argues that colleges are failing to provide and adequate education in civic knowledge and is also influencing graduates to become less supportive of American values. |
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| Think Twice Review Date: | March 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: | Gregory J. Marchant, Ball State University |
| Marchant’s review of the report finds that it ignores contradictory findings, omits key information, wrongly argues causation and confuses civic knowledge with conservative political values. Marchant warns that the report “may, in fact, be destructive of the very ideals of education the authors ascribe to the Founding Fathers – particularly informed democratic participation.” | |
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| Report Reviewed: | Connecticut’s Charter School Law and Race to the Top |
| Publisher/Think Tank: | Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCan) |
This report argues for lifting the charter school cap and increasing funding for charter schools in Connecticut. |
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| Think Twice Review Date: | March 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: | Robert Bifulco, Syracuse University |
| Bifulco’s review of this report finds that it ignores relevant research and offers no evidence to support its claim that expanding charters would increase low-income student achievement. | |
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| Report Reviewed: | Expanding Choice in Elementary and Secondary Education: A Report on Rethinking the Federal Role in Education |
| Publisher/Think Tank: | Brookings Institution |
This report calls for a federally led, universal expansion of school choice programs and makes the argument that increased choice is what the majority of parents want in federal education reform. |
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| Think Twice Review Date: | March 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: | Janelle Scott, University of California at Berkeley |
| Scott’s review of this report finds that it lacks the evidence to support the call for an expansion of school choice. Scott identifies three major shortcomings in the report: it relies too heavily on research in progress and research produced by advocacy organizations; it neglects prior research concerning the nature of parental choice; and it fails to acknowledge that unconstrained school choice has segregative effects. | |
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| Report Reviewed: | How School Choice Can Create Jobs for South Carolina |
| Publisher/Think Tank: | South Carolina Policy Council Education Foundation |
| This report argues that school choice, in the form of vouchers to attend private schools, would create significant job opportunities in five poor, rural counties in South Carolina. | |
| Think Twice Review Date: | January 14, 2010 |
| Reviewer: | Joydeep Roy, Georgetown University |
| Roy’s review of the South Carolina report finds that it is built on seriously flawed assumptions and offers little insight into the effects of school vouchers. Roy writes that the report relies more on rhetoric and less on authentic research and concludes that it is significantly biased and of little value to policymakers. | |
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Previous Reports & Reviews:
Think Twice Reviews Released In 2009
Think Twice Reviews Released In 2008
Think Twice Reviews Released In 2007
Think Twice Reviews Released In 2006
Previous Weekly Reports:
Current Weekly Report
2009 Think Twice Weekly Reports
2008 Think Twice Weekly Reports
2007 Think Twice Weekly Reports
2006 Think Twice Weekly Reports
Five "Honorees" of Bunkum Awards Announced for their Contributions to Sub-Par Education Research
Two New Think Tank Reviews Published … Elsewhere
Examining the Funding and Activities of Free Market Education Think Tanks
US Think-Tanks: Casualties In The War of Ideas
Far-Right "Think Tanks" (Propaganda Mills) – Who Are Those Guys?
Let The Buyer Beware [ Executive Summary | Full Report ]