J. Wesley Null, Ph.D.

Dr. J. Wesley (Wes) Null is Professor of Curriculum and Foundations of Education in the School of Education and the Honors College. He is currently serving as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Academic Affairs, a position that he has held since January 2011. Prior to beginning his role as vice provost, 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’s work combines educational history and curriculum theory and 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 (2011, 2016, 2023), 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). His next book, Curriculum Leadership: Virtues for a Changing World, is set to be released by Bloomsbury Press in April 2026.

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 Academic Affairs, 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.

Research Interests:

• Curriculum Theory and Practice
• History of Teacher Education
• Social Foundations of Education
• History of American Education (specifically curriculum)