A Study On The Operating Mechanism Of American Education Think Tanks

As we step into modern society, science and democracy are more and more emphasized when education policies made. Education think tanks provide decision- making proposals, to influence public opinion, to assess the effectiveness of policies and so on, which can be treated as brain trust for education policy-makers. Therefore, to build education think tanks is not only the request for education reform, but also a new trend for scientific decision-making.Firstly, the thesis discusses the origin and development of US education think tanks. Tolerant political environment, developed economy, and cultural diversity are the breeding ground for general think tanks, while education issues became complicated and education regulators being adjusted provided opportunities for education think tanks to separate from general think tanks. By combing its develop course we can clarify that US education think tanks experienced three developing stages which including infancy stage, growing stage and maturity stag. The study also found that US education think tanks could be divided into three types: official organization, semi-official organization, and private organization. They are difference in affiliation, fund source, and research direction.After that, the thesis studies the operating mechanism about US education think tanks from five aspects, which are organizing mechanism, financing mechanism, employing mechanism, acting mechanism and evaluating mechanism. With the introduction, we can have an overall impression about US education think tanks.On research basis above mentioned, the thesis taking the Institute of Education Sciences as an example to demonstrate how US education think tanks operate. We can conclude that education think tanks achieve its contribution to education policy from several ways. Before the policy put forward, education think tanks distinguish weather the issues were meaningful and collect useful information, and during the education policy being discussed, they participate congressional hearings and provide alternative motion, while after the policy released, these organizations guide public opinion and assess policy implementation.Finally, the thesis represents the current situation and shortcomings of education think tanks in C hina. In order to promote our country’s education think tanks developing better, we need to learn useful experience from US, which are, to improve the management mechanism, to build a resource-sharing platform, to establish an information support mechanism, and to strengthen the service mechanism.