Member Since 2009


Frederick Hess, AEI's director of education policy studies, is an educator, political scientist, author, and popular speaker and commentator. He has authored such influential books as Spinning Wheels, Revolution at the Margins, and Common Sense School Reform. A former public high school social studies teacher, he has also taught education and policy at universities including Georgetown, Harvard, Rice, the University of Virginia, and the University of Pennsylvania. He is executive editor of Education Next, a faculty associate with Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance, and serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and on the review board for the Broad Prize in Urban Education. At AEI, Mr. Hess addresses a range of K-12 and higher education issues.

Published Articles & Media

Illustration

What It Takes to Be an Effective Public Scholar

The extraordinary public scholar excels in five vital areas
Teachers protest for stronger Covid-19 safety protocols outside Oakland Unified School District headquarters on Jan. 7, 2022, in Oakland, Calif.

The Locus of K–12 Coverage During the Pandemic, and After

Education reformers who want more media attention should be careful what they wish for

“Equity Has To Be All About Excellence,” Says Winner of $3.9 Million Education Prize

"Unhelpful" professional development sent young Linda Darling-Hammond on a scholarly course
Photo of Joel Rose

To Combat Learning Loss, Schools Need to Overhaul the Industrial-Age Paradigm

The decline in academic gains may be steeper, but it’s not a new phenomenon
Photo of a guinea pig

Is Petting a Guinea Pig SEL? It’s Time to Call Out the Quacks

Leadership entails not only explaining what advocates think SEL should be but also what it isn’t
Incumbent Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, his wife Casey and their children on stage after speaking to supporters at an election night party after winning his race for reelection in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

What the 2022 Midterm Election Results Will Mean for Education Policy

The 2022 midterm elections were always going to offer voters a dubious choice. They could...
Screenshot from NAEP event

NAEP Needs to Be Kept at Arm’s Length From Politics

It’s easier than you’d think for something as valuable as the national assessment to get sucked into today’s all-consuming political maw
The original Star-Spangled Banner, which flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 and inspired the words of our National Anthem, as it was displayed in what is now the National Museum of American History.

What’s the Point of Civics Education?

Not even one fourth of teachers rank knowledge of political and civic institutions as a top-three concern

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