J. Wesley (Wes) Null, Ph.D., is a Professor of Education in the School of Education and the Honors College at Baylor. He is currently serving as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Academic Affairs. Previously, Dr. Null served as Associate Dean within Baylor’s Honors College, Acting Director of the University’s Honors Program, and founding Director of Baylor’s Ph.D. in Curriculum & Teaching program.
Dr. Null is an educational historian whose work is driven by the ideal of liberal education for all. He began his career as a middle school teacher in Artesia, New Mexico, before moving to Pflugerville ISD where he taught social studies. In addition to conducting research on the history of education (specifically the history of teacher education), Dr. Null has published extensively in the field of curriculum. His books include Curriculum: From Theory to Practice (2016), American Educational Thought: Essays from 1640 to 1940 (2010), Peerless Educator: The Life and Work of Isaac Leon Kandel (2007), Forgotten Heroes of American Education: The Great Tradition of Teaching Teachers (2006) (with Diane Ravitch), and A Disciplined Progressive Educator: The Life and Career of William Chandler Bagley (2003).
Dr. Null served as president of the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum from 2010 to 2011 and as editor of the American Educational History Journal from 2006 to 2011. He was named a Fellow with the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture in 2012.
Since joining the Baylor faculty in 2001, Dr. Null has taught numerous courses in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, the Honors Program, and the Great Texts Department. Courses he’s taught regularly include Curriculum Theory and Practice, History of American Education, American Educational Thought, Social Foundations of Education, The United States in the World, Social Issues in Education, Great Texts on Education, and Intellectual Tradition of the Ancient World.
From 2004 to 2011, Dr. Null served as principal investigator for two $1 million Teaching American History grants from the U.S. Department of Education (jointly operated by the School of Education and the Department of History).
As Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Institutional Effectiveness, Dr. Null manages all aspects of the university’s SACSCOC accreditation efforts, supervises the process of undergraduate curriculum revision, oversees the management of numerous student services offices on campus, coordinates with all academic units on campus to achieve goals related to student success, collaborates with other universities/colleges to establish articulation and exchange agreements, and works to provide a common vision for undergraduate education at Baylor.
Dr. Null holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Texas at Austin and B.S.Ed. and M.Ed. degrees from Eastern New Mexico University.
Curriculum Theory and Practice
History of Teacher Education
Social Foundations of Education
History of American Education (specifically curriculum)
Did Teacher Educators Choose the Wrong Tradition?: Teacher Education in Texas After World War II
Dr. J. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published "Did Teacher Educators Choose the Wrong Tradition?: Teacher Education in Texas After World War II" in the American Educational History Journal, Vol. 47, Issue 1, p. in press, 10/01/2020.
Book Chapter — “Isaac Leon Kandel”
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published "Isaac Leon Kandel," a book chapter, in North American Scholars of Comparative Education (Oxford: Oxford Studies in Comparative Education of Routledge Press, 2019), pp. 37-49, December 1, 2019.
Teachers Belong at the Heart of School Reform: Best Education Policy in Texas History Came from Investing in Educators
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published Teachers Belong at the Heart of School Reform: Best Education Policy in Texas History Came from Investing in Educators in Dallas Morning News, p. 4P, 02/10/2019, with co-author(s) Dr. Diane Ravitch.
Bold, Prophetic Messages: State Lawmakers Got School Reforms Right in 1949
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published Bold, Prophetic Messages: State Lawmakers Got School Reforms Right in 1949 in Waco Tribune-Herald, p. 2B, 01/27/2019, with co-author(s) Dr. Diane Ravitch, New York University.
History Tells Us It’s Time to Reinvest in Texas Teachers
Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published History Tells Us It's Time to Reinvest in Texas Teachers in Austin American-Statesman, p. A13, 01/25/2019, with co-author(s) Dr. Diane Ravitch, New York University.
CURRICULUM: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016)
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published CURRICULUM: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE.
AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT: ESSAYS FROM 1640 TO 1940 (Information Age, 2010)
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT: ESSAYS FROM 1640 TO 1940, with co-author(s) Dr. Andrew J. Milson, Chara Hauessler Bohan, and Perry L. Glanzer.
PEERLESS EDUCATOR: THE LIFE AND WORK OF ISAAC LEON KANDEL (Peter Lang, 2007)
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published PEERLESS EDUCATOR: THE LIFE AND WORK OF ISAAC LEON KANDEL.
FORGOTTEN HEROES OF AMERICAN EDUCATION: THE GREAT TRADITION OF TEACHING TEACHERS (Information Age, 2006)
Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published FORGOTTEN HEROES OF AMERICAN EDUCATION: THE GREAT TRADITION OF TEACHING TEACHERS, with co-author(s) Dr. Diane Ravitch.
THE PURSUIT OF CURRICULUM: SCHOOLING AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST (Information Age, 2006)
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published THE PURSUIT OF CURRICULUM: SCHOOLING AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST, with co-author(s) Dr. William A. Reid.
READINGS IN AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT: FROM PURITANISM TO PROGRESSIVISM (Information Age, 2004)
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published READINGS IN AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT: FROM PURITANISM TO PROGRESSIVISM, with co-author(s) Dr. Andrew J. Milson, and Chara Haussler Bohan.
A DISCIPLINED PROGRESSIVE EDUCATOR: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF WILLIAM CHANDLER BAGLEY (Peter Lang, 2003)
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, published A DISCIPLINED PROGRESSIVE EDUCATOR: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF WILLIAM CHANDLER BAGLEY.
Character Formation for All: Baylor’s Journey to “Care for the Least of These”
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, Dr. Sinda Vanderpool, associate vice provost for academic enrollment management, and Michelle Cohenour, director of student success initiatives, presented Character Formation for All: Baylor's Journey to "Care for the Least of These" at at the Lilly Fellows Program National Conference, held October 18, 2019, in Waco, Texas.
Teacher Education in Texas After World War II: From “State Teachers College” to “State University” and the Consequences for the Teaching Profession
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, presented Teacher Education in Texas After World War II: From "State Teachers College" to "State University" and the Consequences for the Teaching Profession at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum, held 10/04/2019, in Birmingham, AL.
Curriculum Deliberation: What it is, Why it Matters, and How it Improves on Curriculum Development
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, presented Curriculum Deliberation: What it is, Why it Matters, and How it Improves on Curriculum Development at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum, held 10/03/2019, in Birmingham, AL.
To Have What We Must: Teacher Education in Texas Following World War II
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, presented To Have What We Must: Teacher Education in Texas Following World War II at the Annual Meeting of the Organization of Educational Historians, held October 5, 2019, in Kansas City, MO.
A Humanities Foundation for Comparative Education: The Vision of Isaac Leon Kandel
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, presented A Humanities Foundation for Comparative Education: The Vision of Isaac Leon Kandel at the Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, held April 16, 2019, in San Francisco, CA.
Outstanding Service
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received Outstanding Service as Journal Editor Award from Organization of Educational Historians Executive Committee, 10/14/2012.
Fellowship
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received Fellowship from Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, November 18, 2012.
O.L. Davis, Jr. Book Award
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received O.L. Davis, Jr. Book Award (Honorable Mention) for CURRICULUM: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE from American Association for Teaching and Curriculum, 10/09/2011.
Outstanding Professor for Scholarship
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received University Outstanding Professor for Scholarship (2007) from Baylor University.
Critics’ Choice Book Award
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received Critics' Choice Book Award (2005) for A DISCIPLINED PROGRESSIVE EDUCATOR: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF WILLIAM CHANDLER BAGLEY from American Educational Studies Association.
Faculty Achievement Award
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received Faculty Achievement Award from Baylor University School of Education (2003).
Distinguished Dissertation Award
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received Distinguished Dissertation Award (2002) from Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education.
Distinguished Dissertation Award for Curriculum
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received Distinguished Dissertation Award for Curriculum (2002) from American Association for Teaching and Curriculum.
University Continuing Fellowship
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education, received University Continuing Fellowship (2001) from The University of Texas at Austin.
Teaching American History Grant
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education; $987,333.00; Teaching American History; U.S. Department of Education.
Teaching American History Grant
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education; $924,714.00; Teaching American History; U.S. Department of Education.
Editor, AEHJ
Dr. Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education; Editor (2006-2011); American Educational History Journal.
President, AATC
Wesley Null, professor of curriculum and foundations of education; President (2010-2011); American Association for Teaching and Curriculum.