Harvard Graduate School of Education

Frederick M. Hess

More about Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess is resident scholar and director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and executive editor of Education Next. He is known for his work on a diverse range of educational issues including urban education, accountability, charter schooling and school vouchers, teacher licensure, local governance, and school finance.

Mr. Hess’ books include Educational Entrepreneurship (Harvard Education Press 2006), No Child Left Behind: A Primer (Peter Lang 2006), Tough Love for Schools (AEI Press 2006), With the Best of Intentions (Harvard Education Press 2005), Urban School Reform (Harvard Education Press 2005), Leaving No Child Behind? (Palgrave Macmillan 2004), Common Sense School Reform (Palgrave Macmillan 2004), A Qualified Teacher in Every Classroom? (Harvard Education Press 2004), Revolution at the Margins (Brookings 2002), School Choice in the Real World (Westview 1999), Spinning Wheels (Brookings 1999), and Bringing the Social Sciences Alive (Allyn & Bacon 1999). He has also authored influential monographs including “Tear Down This Wall: The Case for a Radical Overhaul of Teacher Certification” (Progressive Policy Institute 2001), “A License to Lead? A New Leadership Agenda for America’s Schools” (Progressive Policy Institute 2003), and “A Better Bargain: Overhauling Teacher Collective Bargaining for the 21st Century” (Harvard University 2006).

Mr. Hess’ work has appeared in numerous academic journals including Social Science Quarterly, American Politics Quarterly, Teachers College Record, Journal of Teacher Education, and Politics and Policy; general interest publications like National Review, Weekly Standard, Washington Post, and Boston Globe; and education-specific publications such as American School Board Journal, Phi Delta Kappan, Education Week, Trusteeship, and School Administrator.

Mr. Hess is currently a faculty associate of the Harvard University Program on Education Policy and Governance and serves as Innovations Advisor for Harvard’s Ash Institute. He is also on the Review Board for the Broad Prize in Urban Education and the Research Advisory Board for the National Center for Educational Accountability. From 2001-03, he served on the National Working Commission on Choice in K–12 Education, and he currently is a senior research associate for the School Choice Demonstration Project at Georgetown University. He speaks frequently at colleges and universities and in various other venues.

Mr. Hess is a former public high school social studies teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is licensed to teach in Massachusetts and Louisiana. He holds an M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University. Prior to joining AEI, he taught education and politics at the University of Virginia and served as a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Back to the books:
Educational Entrepreneurship
With the Best of Intentions
Urban School Reform
A Qualified Teacher in Every Classroom?