J. Wesley Null, Ph.D.

Dr. J. Wesley (Wes) Null is Professor of Curriculum and Foundations of Education in the Moody School of Education and the Honors College. He served as Baylor University's Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Academic Affairs from 2011 to 2026. Prior to beginning his role as vice provost, Dr. Null was 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 most recent book, Curriculum Leadership: Virtues for a Changing World, was released by Bloomsbury Press in August 2026. His next book, What Happened to America’s Teachers Colleges?: Lessons from the Past and a Vision for the Future, will be released in spring/summer 2028 by Bloomsbury.

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).  During his service as Baylor’s Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dr. Null managed all aspects of the university’s SACSCOC accreditation efforts, supervised the process of undergraduate curriculum revision, oversaw the management of numerous student services offices on campus, coordinated with all academic units on campus to achieve goals related to student success, collaborated with other universities/colleges to establish articulation and exchange agreements, and worked to provide a common vision for undergraduate education at Baylor.  From 2012 to 2019, Dr. Null worked closely with the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office to revise Baylor’s undergraduate core curriculum, a process that hadn’t taken place since World War II. Since returning to full-time faculty in August 2026, Dr. Null has served as Graduate Program Director for the Moody School of Education’s Ph.D. in Curriculum & Teaching program.

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)