# Rick Hess

> Frederick M. Hess - known to nearly everyone in education circles as Rick - runs Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and writes the long-running Education Week column 'Rick Hess Straight Up.' A former high school social studies teacher with a Harvard PhD in government, he has authored or edited dozens of books on K-12 and higher education and is repeatedly ranked among the most influential people shaping U.S. education policy.

- **Role:** Senior Fellow and Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute
- **Organizations:** American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Education Week, Education Next
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Political Science (summa cum laude), Brandeis University, M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum, Harvard Graduate School of Education, M.A. and Ph.D. in Government, Harvard University
- **Known for:** Authored or edited 35+ books on K-12 and higher education, Founding director (2002) of AEI's education policy studies program, Named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of Washington DC's most influential people shaping education policy in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Began career as a high school social studies teacher
- **1997** — Joined the University of Virginia as assistant professor of education and politics
- **2002** — Became founding director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute; published the influential paper 'Tear Down This Wall' on teacher certification reform
- **2013** — Published 'Cage-Busting Leadership' (Harvard Education Press)
- **2017-2021** — Taught at Johns Hopkins University
- **2021** — Co-authored 'A Search for Common Ground' with Pedro Noguera
- **2023** — Published 'The Great School Rethink'
- **Present** — Senior Fellow and Director of Education Policy Studies at AEI; executive editor of Education Next

## Achievements

- Authored or edited 35+ books on K-12 and higher education
- Founding director (2002) of AEI's education policy studies program
- Named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of Washington DC's most influential people shaping education policy in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025
- Identified in a 2022 analysis as the most influential education researcher at major think tanks
- Writes Education Week's long-running column 'Rick Hess Straight Up' and Education Next's 'Old School with Rick Hess'
- Executive editor of Education Next

## Latest updates

- **2026** — Continues publishing weekly opinion pieces in Education Week on AI in schools, reading and math instruction, school choice, phone policies, federal education policy, and civic education.

## Links

- Website: https://www.aei.org/profile/frederick-m-hess/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederick-hess-9b6b9b6
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/rickhess99

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rick-hess
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02