Rafael Heller

has worked in K-12 and higher education for more than 30 years as a teacher, researcher, policy advocate, writer, and editor, and as a consultant to dozens of educational foundations, associations, and other organizations. From 2017-22, he served as managing editor and editor-in-chief of Phi Delta Kappan magazine, as well as directing the PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools. Previously, he was principal policy analyst at Jobs for the Future, where he led efforts to define a new agenda for high school improvement in the post-No Child Left Behind era, and he has held senior positions at the Alliance for Excellent Education, the Association for American Colleges and Universities, and elsewhere. Earlier in his career, he spent several years teaching writing, rhetoric, and English, including a stint as professor and English department chair at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. Heller has published widely on literacy instruction, rhetoric, education policy, and other topics, and he has ghostwritten numerous op-ed pieces, white papers, and reports on topics ranging from educational media to teacher education, school leadership, college readiness, and career and technical education. He holds a Ph.D. in English & Education from the University of Michigan, along with an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Oberlin College.