A year ago, I compiled a list of the top education policy tweeters, as measured by Klout.com. As with any such list, there was no shortage of outrage and ire—over the measuring stick, over the people I inadvertently left out, over the wisdom (or lack thereof) of developing such a ranking at all. Yet, undeterred, I’m back for an update—because it’s fun, because it’s interesting, and because it’s August.
So I present to you the latest and greatest list, circa 2012:
Top 30 Education Policy Organizations and Individuals for Online Influence,
as Measured by Klout, August 2012
| 2012 Rank | Name | Twitter Handle | Klout Score Aug 2012 | 2011 Rank |
| 1 | Arne Duncan | @arneduncan | 83 | 8 |
| 2 | Diane Ravitch | @DianeRavitch | 82 | 1 |
| 3 | Randi Weingarten | @rweingarten | 80 | 13 |
| 4 | Michelle Rhee | @m_rhee | 79 | 5 |
| 5 | Education Next | @educationnext | 78 | N/A |
| 6 | Education Week | @educationweek | 74 | 2 |
| 7 | U.S. Education Department | @usedgov | 71 | 3 |
| 8 | Tom Vander Ark | @tvanderark | 70 | 20 |
| 9 | Huffington Post Education | @HuffPostEdu | 68 | 3 |
| 10 | AFT | @aftunion | 66 | N/A |
| 10 | Mike Klonsky | @mikeklonsky | 66 | 12 |
| 10 | Anthony Cody | @anthonycody | 66 | N/A |
| 13 | ASCD | @ASCD | 65 | 6 |
| 13 | Sam Chaltain | @samchaltain | 65 | N/A |
| 15 | Joy Resmovits | @joyresmovits | 64 | N/A |
| 15 | Alfie Kohn | @alfiekohn | 64 | 8 |
| 17 | Alexander Russo | @alexanderrusso | 63 | 22 |
| 17 | Motoko Rich | @motokorich | 63 | N/A |
| 17 | Justin Hamilton | @edpresssec | 63 | 6 |
| 17 | NEA Today | @NEA Today | 63 | 13 |
| 21 | Politics K12 | @politicsk12 | 62 | N/A |
| 21 | Michael Petrilli | @michaelpetrilli | 62 | 13 |
| 21 | Students First | @StudentsFirstHQ | 62 | 13 |
| 21 | NewSchools Venture Fund | @nsvf | 62 | N/A |
| 21 | The Frustrated Teacher | @tfteacher | 62 | N/A |
| 21 | Education Trust | @edtrust | 62 | 17 |
| 21 | Dana Goldstein | @DanaGoldstein | 62 | 10 |
| 21 | Education Sector | @educationsector | 62 | 17 |
| 21 | Patrick Riccards | @Eduflack | 62 | 22 |
| 21 | Nancy Flanagan | @nancyflanagan | 62 | N/A |
So what do we learn from the new list? First, it looks a whole lot like the old list; two-thirds of the names are the same. And the groups and people who fell off the list—such as 50Can, the Hechinger Report, and Leonie Haimson—didn’t fall far; they just missed the cut-off by a point or two. This consistency strikes me as rather remarkable, especially considering that Klout recently updated its metrics.
Still, there was some movement on the list, with Arne (Duncan) assuming the throne as Education Policy Social Media King, Randi (Weingarten) rocketing to third place, Tom Vander Ark moving up to eighth, and the AFT, Anthony Cody, and (yes, shameless self promotion) Education Next landing on the top-ten list as new entrants this year. Welcomes are also warranted for a quartet of journalists: Joy Resmovits of the Huffington Post, Motoko Rich, new to the edu-beat at the New York Times, and the dynamic duo of Alyson Klein and Michele McNeil of Education Week’s Politics K-12.
Let the festivities and the hand-wringing begin. Whom did I forget this year? Remind me again why Klout is stupid. And most importantly, let me know what you make of this list, and its meaning for the education policy debate today. The comments section is OPEN!
-Mike Petrilli
To see the top tweeters of 2013, click here.
