Contributor
Frederick M. Hess, Director of Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Related Link:
http://www.aei.org/scholar/30
Biography provided by participant
Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and executive editor of Education Next, is known for his work on educational issues including entrepreneurship, urban education, accountability, choice and charter schooling, governance, philanthropy, collective bargaining, and leadership. His many books include When Research Matters, No Child Left Behind, Educational Entrepreneurship, Common Sense School Reform, and Spinning Wheels. His work has appeared in scholarly and more popular publications including Social Science Quarterly, American Politics Quarterly, Teachers College Record, American Journal of Education, Harvard Educational Review, Urban Affairs Review, National Review, U.S. News & World Report, Washington Post, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Education Week. He is a faculty associate of the Harvard University Program in Education Policy and Governance, a member of the board of directors of StandardsWork and the National Alliance of Charter School Authorizers, and serves on the review board for the Broad Prize in Urban Education. A former high school teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he has also taught at Harvard University, Georgetown University, Rice University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Virginia. He holds an M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University.
Recent Responses
November 2, 2009 09:17 AM
The turnaround component of Race to the Top is deeply problematic. Rather than focusing Race to the Top on stripping away barriers that impede school improvement and creative problem-solving, the turnaround strand is one that encourages grandiose and ill-conceived efforts. With intense focus, political willpower, and sufficient resources, it is probably possible for some states to effectively turn around a handful of schools. But, in throwing a big slug of federal dollars and moral support behind self-promoters promising to turn around lots of schools, and the public officials who sign on for the ride, the administration is setting itself up to undermine a reasonable idea, ensure…
Read moreSeptember 28, 2009 09:47 AM
There is a real potential upside to the draft standards. Sensible common standards offer an opportunity to gauge relative performance, identify promising providers and practices, and permit makers of textbooks and learning materials to focus on delivering quality rather than complying with 50 sets of requirements. Given the conviction that there is an irreducible core of knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that we want all students to master, common standards can make good sense. There are also substnatial grounds for concern about how these standards are being adopted and how they will be implemented. Fundamentally, there is a distinction between what all…
Read moreSeptember 14, 2009 08:45 AM
The data may appear startling to those who don't routinely follow these issues, but they are hardly surprising to educators or policymakers involved in higher education. The list of possible responses is long and pretty common sensical. These include more carefully tracking students and student progress towards graduation so as to intervene when necessary, providing better support, encouraging more faculty to take mentoring and counseling more seriously, altering scheduling practices to facilitate on-time completion, integrating online offerings more strategically, shifting more resources into instruction, studying institutions with high completion rates to see what they are doing, and so on. None of this is rocket science. The greater difficulty is…
Read moreJuly 6, 2009 09:34 AM
Mayoral control holds obvious promise. Crucial backing from strong mayors has allowed reform-minded superintendents to move the ball in Boston, New York, Chicago, and DC. These happy tales have led some enthusiasts to champion mayoral control more broadly. So far, so good. The risk is that advocates oversell mayoral control without due concern to its design or its risks. There is little compelling evidence to suggest that mayoral control is a consistent remedy. Most of the existing research consists of case studies of a handful of cities where strong mayors demanded control of the schools and threw themselves into school improvement. More generally, Stanford University’s Michael Kirst…
Read moreJune 29, 2009 03:36 PM
I need to reframe this question to answer it—because I don't accept the premise that states and districts are in dire straits or that the Department of Education is able to do much with ARRA dollars to promote meaningful reform. In theory, the money be used for reform rather than to subsidize the status quo. However, I'm profoundly concerned that these dollars will serve to dampen the modest fiscal pressure that can serve as a prerequisite for transformative reform. In good times, leaders in any organization-- public or private, for-profit or non-profit-- have incentives to push off hard choices and…
Read more
About This Blog
This Education Blog is funded by support provided, in part, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the purpose of creating an educational forum for sharing research, ideas and opinions regarding issues related to college readiness and college completion. The Blog may not be used to post partisan political statements supporting or opposing candidates for public office. All statements and materials posted on the Blog, including any statements regarding specific legislation, reflect the views of the individual contributors and do not reflect the views of National Journal or the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation. National Journal and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation take no positions regarding any legislation discussed in the Blog. National Journal reserves the right to monitor material placed on this site and to remove any posting they may deem inappropriate.
