STANFORD, Calif. -- Education Next is the most influential journal in education, according to a study released last week by the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center. The study, Influence: A Study of the Factors Shaping Education Policy, was based on an extensive survey of the education field's opinion-elite.



Education Next, published quarterly by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, was the sole journal, peer-reviewed or otherwise, listed among the top-ten information sources in the EPE survey, surpassed only by agencies of the U. S. government, Education Week, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the non-profit organization Education Trust.

"The other editors and I are very pleased to learn that this young journal, now in its sixth year of publication, has attained such prominence and recognition," said Paul E. Peterson, editor-in-chief of Education Next and director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University. "The honor reminds us to keep focused on our central mission, namely to 'present the facts as best they can be determined, giving voice (without fear or favor) to worthy research, sound ideas and responsible arguments.'"

EPE's study also ranked most influential research in education as well as the most influential individuals. Research on school vouchers conducted by Peterson and his colleagues at Harvard was cited among the thirteen "blockbuster" studies of the past decade. A study of graduation rates by Jay Greene, an Education Next contributing editor, was also listed as one of the top thirteen. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, conducted under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Education, was listed as the most influential research study.

Education Next Senior Editor Chester E. Finn Jr., who also serves as chair of the Hoover Institution's Koret Task Force on K-12 Education and president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, was named as one of the 20 most influential individuals in education. Microsoft founder Bill Gates held the top spot as the single most influential person in education in the last decade.

In a statement, EPE Director Christopher Swanson said the study provides "a unique look at the power-brokers in American education who have shaped much of what happens in our nation's classrooms over the last 10 years. The influence rankings also shed some light on the movers and shakers to watch in the next decade."

Education Next features and forums provide opportunities for experts and analysts to cover key issues in school reform. All items in its research section are subject to double-blind peer-review. The journal has garnered national and international attention in recent months with the publication of ground breaking research on such topics as the increased achievement of students when taught by teachers of the same gender, the failure of school phys-ed classes to fight obesity, and the hidden social costs for academically successful minority students in integrated public schools. Regular features of the journal, such as its annual report card on states' proficiency standards and its "Check the Facts" column, which shines a spotlight on inaccurate and misleading research, are widely referenced by the media, policymakers, government officials, and education practitioners.

The current issue of Education Next (Winter 2007) headlines research that shows that state certification requirements that call for a specific course of study in education schools have little impact on student learning in the classroom. The issue also includes analyses of evidence and arguments used in education adequacy lawsuits and an assessment of the effectiveness of early childhood education. Other articles reveal the local barriers to charter school reform and the extent to which school restructuring is not taking place under No Child Left Behind.

Read the new issue of Education Next now online at www.EducationNext.org

Education Next is a scholarly journal published by the Hoover Institution committed to looking at hard facts about school reform. Other sponsoring institutions are the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.