Frederick HessResident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies
American Enterprise Institute
Frederick M. Hess is a Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He is also Executive Editor of Education Next. He is best known for his work on a broad range of K-12 and higher education issues including accountability in education, charter schooling and school choice, the politics of education reform, collective bargaining, No Child Left Behind, teacher and administrative preparation, certification and licensing, school governance, college affordability, and the importance of entrepreneurship.
Dr. Hess's books include No Remedy Left Behind (AEI Press, 2007), Footing the Tuition Bill (AEI Press, 2007), 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 Institution Press, 2002), School Choice in the Real World (Westview, 1999), Spinning Wheels (Brookings Institution Press, 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).
In addition, Dr. Hess's work has appeared in scholarly journals including Social Science Quarterly, American Politics Quarterly, Teachers College Record, the Journal of Teacher Education, Policy Studies Journal, Educational Policy, Education and Urban Society, and Urban Affairs Review. He has also written for general interest publications like National Review, the Weekly Standard, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and Philanthropy, and for educational publications such as the American School Board Journal, Phi Delta Kappan, Education Week, Educational Leadership, and School Administrator.
Dr. Hess is also a faculty associate of the Harvard University Program in Education Policy and Governance and serves as Innovations Advisor in Education and Training for the Ash Institute at Harvard University. He is on the Review Board for the Broad Prize in Urban Education, the Research Advisory Board for the National Center for Educational Accountability, and the Charter School Accreditation Advisory Board of the American Academy for Liberal Education. He is also a senior research associate for the School Choice Demonstration Project at Georgetown University. From 2001-2003, he served on the National Working Commission on Choice in K-12 Education.
A former public high school social studies teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dr. Hess has held teaching licenses in Louisiana and Massachusetts. 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, Dr. Hess taught education and politics at the University of Virginia and served as a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute.
Frederick Hess's discussions:
- Do we need a basic rewrite of No Child Left Behind? August 1, 2008
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- Should we scrap No Child Left Behind?
With Judith Rizzo, Eric Hanushek and Richard Rothstein
Start date: November 18
Past Discussions See All
- How can we restore order and respect in public schools?Ended: November 14, 2008
- Why is there so much school bureaucracy and what can we do about it? Ended: November 7, 2008
- Do we need a new deal for teachers?Ended: October 30, 2008
- What should universal national service look like?Ended: October 16, 2008
- What strategies best support the transition and re-employment of displaced workers?Ended: October 2, 2008
- Can the next President break Washington's addiction to short-term goals and special interests?Ended: September 11, 2008
- Would "loser pays" eliminate frivolous lawsuits and defenses?Ended: August 20, 2008
- Do we need a basic rewrite of No Child Left Behind?Ended: August 7, 2008
- Obesity Part 1: What's needed to encourage a culture of fitness?Ended: July 31, 2008
- Can we afford our entitlement promises? How close is the cliff?Ended: July 24, 2008
- Is nuclear power essential to addressing climate change and energy independence?Ended: July 17, 2008
- What is the role of the courts in making social policy?Ended: July 10, 2008
- Chronic care: do we need an entirely new model of delivery?Ended: June 26, 2008
- Is it possible to fix government?Ended: June 19, 2008
- How can we restore Americans' sense of optimism?Ended: June 12, 2008







