Think Tanks: Hijacking The Education Sector*

Somewhat lost in last week's news about John Chubb withdrawing from the Romney advisory team (here) was the news that EdSector's higher ed team was leaving for New America. Kevin Carey et al will be formally announced sometime this week.  No word yet on whether they'll be taking The Quick And The Ed with them (unlikely, given that Chubb has already started posting on the think tank's group blog).

Think tanks evolve over time, and are shaped by their boards and leaders, but I can't think of another example where a think tank has been transformed so quickly in such a short period of time. Former US News education reporter Tom Toch and moderate Democrat Andy Rotherham co-founded the quasi-journalistic think tank not so long ago, and another journalist, former LA Times writer R.L. Colvin, succeeded them.  Now Macke Raymond and John Chubb are in control.   Sort of amazing.  

Not that there are enough right-leaning education think tanks out there, compared to the masses of left-leaning ones. But I'd have never thought that the right would build its forces this way, or that the messy departures of Rotherham and Toch would allow the board to move so far to the right. Then again, why build a new think tank when you can hijack an existing one?

*UPDATED:  Just in time, New America sent out the announcement below.

For Immediate Release

Thursday, May 30, 2012    

Carey to Head New America's Education Policy Program 

Previously Served as Policy Director at Education Sector 

The New America Foundation is pleased to announce that Kevin Carey will become the director of its Education Policy Program. Carey, whose position at New America becomes effective June 4, formerly served as policy director of Education Sector.

In his new role, Carey will lead a comprehensive education policy program that includes and builds on the important ongoing work of New America's Early Education Initiative led by Lisa Guernsey and the Federal Education Budget Project led by Jason Delisle. With the arrival of Carey, the New America Foundation is poised to become a leader in providing policy ideas that center on the needs of students across the full education spectrum, from the early years before kindergarten through college completion. New America will also be able to expand its suite of blogs, which include Early Ed Watch, Ed Money Watch and Higher Ed Watch. 

At Education Sector - an independent education policy think tank - Carey oversaw policy development in K-12 and higher education. Carey has published articles in magazines including The New Republic, Washington Monthly, The American Prospect,Democracy, and Newsweek. He also writes a monthly column for the Chronicle of Higher Education and serves as guest editor of the annual Washington Monthly college guide.

"Kevin's record of rigor, independence, depth, and outstanding journalism and communication skills have made him one of the most important and reliable voices in Washington's complex education policy debates," said New America Foundation President Steve Coll."We are thrilled to have him at New America and excited about the new plans he and our terrific existing team have in mind."

As a part of this transition, Carey will be joined by a small team of colleagues from Education Sector.

Comments

[Thomas]

Whether there are "enough" right-wing or left-wing think takes is a matter of opinion, but I'm confused by the implication that the "masses of left-leaning ones" are substantially greater in number and size than the right-wing think tanks. Fordham, Heritage, Cato, Manhattan... and all the pseudo think tanks like Heartland or McIver seem to me to be a presence at least as great, if not greater than those on the left.

[CarolineSF]

I was puzzling over that claim. Does it refer to dedicated education think tanks and not count the massive, wealthy right-wing think tanks such as Hoover, Heritage, Cato etc., which have no counterparts on the left, and focus heavily on education? And if it were possible to count up the dollars put into so-called think tanks (which of course are actually advocacy orgs and shouldn't properly be called think tanks), then where would the balance be?

[Sarah]

From what I have been able to find as far as spending details go, while right-wing reform groups spend more per capita... there’s enough groups by sheer number on the left to balance it out. I’m just estimating, though, I could be wrong.