Rick Hess

Rick Hess

Board Member

Senior Fellow & Director, American Enterprise Institute

As the resident scholar and director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, Rick Hess studies a range of K-12 and higher education issues. As an educator and political scientist, Rick has authored influential books such as Common Sense School Reform, Revolution at the Margins, and Spinning Wheels. He is also the author of the popular Education Week blog, “Rick Hess Straight Up.”

Rick also serves as the executive editor of Education Next, is a faculty associate with Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance, and sits on the review board for the Broad Prize in Urban Education.


Most Recent Posts
After a Quarter Century: Time to Reboot the New Charter School Application Process
The public charter school sector was designed to be responsive and innovative, operating in a space freed from the bogged-down bureaucracy that so often hampers other public schools. Each new...
Why NACSACon 2025 is THE Conference for Charter School Authorizers and Public Education Leaders
NACSACon isn’t just for authorizers—it’s for public education leaders who are passionate about improving outcomes for students. Whether you’re new to authorizing, a veteran authorizer, or an education leader in...
NACSA Files Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Case
Statement from NACSA President & CEO, M. Karega Rausch, Ph.D., on NACSA’s amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of St. Isidore of Seville...