Frederick M. Hess is an educator, political scientist, and author who serves as director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His books include Cage-Busting Leadership, Education Unbound, and Spinning Wheels, and he writes the popular Education Week blog “Rick Hess Straight Up.” A former high school teacher, Hess currently teaches at Rice University and the University of Pennsylvania and serves as executive editor for the influential education journal Education Next.