An educator, political scientist, and author, Frederick M. Hess studies K–12 and higher education issues as director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His books include The Cage Busting Teacher, Cage-Busting Leadership, Education Unbound, The Same Thing Over and Over, Common Sense School Reform, Revolution at the Margins, and Spinning Wheels. He authors the popular Education Week blog Rick Hess Straight Up and is a regular contributor to The Hill. His work has appeared in scholarly and popular outlets such as Teachers College Record, Harvard Education Review, Social Science Quarterly, Urban Affairs Review, American Politics Quarterly, Chronicle of Higher Education, Phi Delta Kappan, Educational Leadership, U.S. News & World Report, The Atlantic, National Affairs, National Review, USA Today, Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. He has edited influential volumes on topics including the Common Core, education philanthropy, the impact of education research, school spending, and No Child Left Behind.
He serves as executive editor of Education Next, as senior fellow for the Leadership Institute of Nevada, and on the review board for the Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. He also serves on the boards of directors of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and 4.0 SCHOOLS. has taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Rice University and Harvard University. He holds an MA and PhD in government, as well as an MEd in teaching and curriculum, from Harvard University.
He lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife, Joleen, and their two sons.
