"In The Cage-Busting Teacher, Rick Hess has found a way to say what has, up to this point, existed only in the minds of Teacher-Leaders. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to strengthen our schools in ways that are practical and real."
-Alex Kajitani, California Teacher of the Year and author of The Teacher of the Year Handboook
"I can't wait for my teachers to read this book. 'Cage-busting' is something that my most dynamic teachers do instinctively. Plenty of teachers have fantastic ideas, but just aren't sure how to push them forward. This is a book that helps them do just that. Hess shows how teachers can reach beyond classrooms to create schools where they can do their best work."
- Kaya Henderson, chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools
"The Cage-Busting Teacher is an indispensable playbook for every teacher who wants to figure out how to influence the decisions that get made beyond their classroom walls. With an engaging mix of stories of successfully subversive teachers and facts about how policy works, Rick shows teachers that they have more power than they realize."
- Celine Coggins, CEO, Teach Plus
"The message of this important new book by Rick Hess is clear: There's a lot of talent among the teachers in our schools, and it needs to be unlocked and set free."
- Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers
"Hess's work will empower teachers to collaborate successfully with their principals, parents, colleagues, and policy-makers and continue to have an impact on their students and communities year after year."
- Elisa Villanueva Beard, co-CEO, Teach For America
The Cage-Busting Teacher applies the logic of
Cage-Busting Leadership to the unique challenges and opportunities of classroom teachers. Detailed, accessible, and thoroughly engaging, it uncovers the many ways teachers can break out of familiar constraints to influence classroom practice, education policy, and school reform.
"In
The Cage-Busting Teacher, Rick Hess has found a way to say what has, up to this point, existed only in the minds of teacher leaders. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to strengthen our schools in ways that are practical and real." --
Alex Kajitani, California Teacher of the Year 2009
"Finally someone (besides me) is talking about the power and authority of teachers! As educators, we have to reject the suggestion that 'You can't do that.' Push back, come up with your own ideas, and 96.4 percent of the time, you'll find that you
can do important things to improve schools. Such are the cage-busters." --
Lily Eskelsen García, president, National Education Association
"Hess's work will empower teachers to collaborate successfully with their principals, parents, colleagues, and policy makers and continue to have an impact on their students and communities year after year." --
Elisa Villaneuva Beard, co-CEO, Teach For America
"
The Cage-Busting Teacher is an indispensable playbook for every teacher who wants to figure out how to influence decisions that get made beyond their classroom walls. With an engaging mix of stories of successfully subversive teachers and facts about how policy works, Rick shows teachers that they have more power than they realize." --
Celine Coggins, CEO, Teach Plus
"The message of this important book by Rick Hess is clear: There's a lot of talent among the teachers in our schools, and it needs to be unlocked and set free." --
Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers
FREDERICK M. HESS is a resident scholar and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
The Cage-Busting Teacher is a volume in the Educational Innovations series.
From the Back Cover
The Cage-Busting Teacher applies the logic of Cage-Busting Leadership to the unique challenges and opportunities of classroom teachers. Detailed, accessible, and thoroughly engaging, it uncovers the many ways teachers can break out of familiar constraints to influence classroom practice, education policy, and school reform.
“In The Cage-Busting Teacher, Rick Hess has found a way to say what has, up to this point, existed only in the minds of teacher leaders. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to strengthen our schools in ways that are practical and real.” — Alex Kajitani, California Teacher of the Year 2009
“Finally someone (besides me) is talking about the power and authority of teachers! As educators, we have to reject the suggestion that ‘You can’t do that.’ Push back, come up with your own ideas, and 96.4 percent of the time, you’ll find that you can do important things to improve schools. Such are the cage-busters.” — Lily Eskelsen García, president, National Education Association
“Hess’s work will empower teachers to collaborate successfully with their principals, parents, colleagues, and policy makers and continue to have an impact on their students and communities year after year.” — Elisa Villaneuva Beard, co-CEO, Teach For America
“The Cage-Busting Teacher is an indispensable playbook for every teacher who wants to figure out how to influence decisions that get made beyond their classroom walls. With an engaging mix of stories of successfully subversive teachers and facts about how policy works, Rick shows teachers that they have more power than they realize.” — Celine Coggins, CEO, Teach Plus
“The message of this important book by Rick Hess is clear: There’s a lot of talent among the teachers in our schools, and it needs to be unlocked and set free.” — Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers
FREDERICK M. HESS is a resident scholar and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
The Cage-Busting Teacher is a volume in the Educational Innovations series.
About the Author
Frederick M. Hess is Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). An educator, political scientist and author, he studies K-12 and higher education issues. His books include The Cage-Busting Teacher, Cage-Busting Leadership, Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age, The Same Thing Over and Over, Education Unbound, 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" and is a regular contributor to The Hill and to National Review Online. Rick's work has appeared in scholarly and popular outlets such as Teachers College Record, Harvard Education Review, Social Science Quarterly, Urban Affairs Review, American Politics Quarterly, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Phi Delta Kappan, Educational Leadership, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Washington Post, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, and National Affairs. He has edited widely cited volumes on the Common Core, the role of for-profits in education, education philanthropy, school costs and productivity, the impact of education research, and No Child Left Behind. Rick serves as executive editor of Education Next, as lead faculty member for the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program, and on the review board for the Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. He also serves on the boards of directors of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and 4.0 SCHOOLS. A former high school social studies teacher, he teaches or has taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Rice University, and Harvard University. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Government, as well as an M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum, from Harvard University.
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