Education policy maven Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute think tank (AEI), author of books like The Same Thing Over and Over, Letters to a Young Education Reformer, and A Search for Common Ground, offers straight talk on matters of policy, politics, research, and reform. Rick’s takes are his alone and do not represent AEI or Education Week. Follow Rick on Twitter at @rickhess99.
States
Opinion
The Right and Wrong Way to Address Concerns About Critical Race Theory
Legislators should consciously echo provisions of the Civil Rights Act brushed aside in the excesses of anti-racist education—not ban ideas.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
An Economist Explains How to Make College Pay
Rick Hess speaks with Beth Akers about practical advice regarding how to choose a college, what to study, and how to pay for it.
School & District Management
Opinion
Pump the Brakes on Drive to End Snow Days
Even setting aside (legitimate) questions about hardware, connectivity, and student preferences, ending snow days deserves careful scrutiny.
Federal
Opinion
Education Outlets Owe Readers More Than the Narratives They Want to Hear
It's vital that serious news organizations challenge runaway narratives and help readers avoid going down ideological rabbit holes.
Mathematics
Opinion
The Case for Game-Based Math Learning
Rick Hess speaks with Andrew Coulson, chief data science officer at MIND Research Institute, about the nonprofit's visual approach to math learning.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Resisting 'Anti-Racist' Education Is Neither Racist Nor Unreasonable
The opponents of anti-racism are reacting to ideas and educational practices at odds with the values and beliefs of most Americans.
Standards
Opinion
How the Failure of the Common Core Looked From the Ground
Steve Peha shares insights from his on-site professional-development work about why the common core failed, in a guest letter to Rick Hess.
Standards
Opinion
Common Core Is a Meal Kit, Not a Nothingburger
Caroline Damon argues Rick Hess and Tom Loveless sold the common core short, claiming the issue was a matter of high-quality implementation.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Getting Ed Tech Wrong Would Be a Bitter Pandemic Legacy
Bad ed-tech habits that formed during the shutdown risk compromising instruction and even slowing the return to school next fall.
School & District Management
Opinion
Education Researchers Should Think More About Educators: Notes From AERA
Steve Rees, founder of School Wise Press, posits AERA reflects a community of researchers too focused on what they find interesting.
Assessment
Opinion
The National Assessment Governing Board’s Troubling Gag Order
NAGB's recently released restrictions on how its board members can communicate set a troubling precedent.
Social Studies
Opinion
Civics Ed. Is on the Precipice of Becoming Common Core 2.0
Recent efforts to promote civics education suggest little was learned from the Obama-era dispute around the common core.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
There’s Insurance for Homes or Cars—Why Not College Degrees?
Rick Hess talks with Wade Eyerly, the CEO of Degree Insurance, about the company's plan to make investing in a college degree less risky.
Standards
Opinion
After All That Commotion, Was the Common Core a Big Nothingburger?
The Common Core State Standards may not have had an impact on student outcomes, but they did make school improvement tougher and more ideological.
