Alexander W. Wiseman, Ph.D.
Email: Alexander.Wiseman@ttu.edu
Phone: 806.834.7193
Office: Education 170
Dr. Alexander W. Wiseman is an accomplished leader, educator, and researcher with over 30 years of professional experience spanning government education departments, university-based teacher education programs, and international classroom teaching. He is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy and currently serves as Interim Department Chair of Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Counseling at Texas Tech University and is the Director of the Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education (CIRCLE).
Dr. Wiseman’s expertise lies in educational policy, teacher preparation, and large-scale comparative education research. His research leverages international datasets to examine key issues such as refugee education, instructional leadership, teacher quality, and the relationship between technology and learning. With an emphasis on evidence-informed policy and practice, his work explores educational access, opportunity, and systems-level change.
A prolific scholar, Dr. Wiseman has authored or edited over 100 peer-reviewed publications, including books and journal articles. He serves as the series editor of International Perspectives on Education and Society, the senior editor of the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education, and as an Associate Editor for the American Educational Research Journal. His international work includes guest teaching at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in Germany and consulting on education reform projects worldwide.
Dr. Wiseman holds a Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Policy and Comparative and International Education from Penn State University and an M.A. in International Comparative Education from Stanford University. His contributions to educational research and leadership continue to inform transformative practices and systemic improvement around the world.
Education
- PhD (2001), Educational Theory and Policy/Comparative and International Education (dual degree), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
- MA (1998), International Comparative Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- MA (1993), Education, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
- BA (1991), Letters, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Areas of Expertise
- Educational policy & policymaking
- Large-scale assessment
- Strategic planning & systemic reform
- Comparative education
Selected Publications
Wiseman, A. W., Anderson, E., Damaschke-Deitrick, L., Galegher, E., Dzotsenidze, N., & Park, M. (Eds.). (2025). Handbook on Comparative Education. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/handbook-on-comparative-education-9781803927824.html
Gottlieb, J. J., Wiseman, A. W., & Hite, R. (2024). The cloak of equality in STEM education: institutionalised masking of gender differences in STEM expectations, task values, and participation. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2024.2370293
Wiseman, A. W., & Damaschke-Deitrick, L. (Eds.). (2023). Education for Refugees and Forced Im/Migrants across Time and Context. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Limited.https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/doi/10.1108/s1479-3679202345
Wiseman, A. W. (2022). The 'New' Norms of Education Policy in the 21st Century: Pandemics, Polemics, and ‘Cloaking’ Persistent Inequality in Education Worldwide. Revista Española de Educación Comparada. 40, 15-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/reec.40.2022.31298
Wiseman, A. W. (2021). Does Inequality Stay in the Shadow? The Cross-national Effects of Educational Equity on Private Tutoring and Student Achievement. International Journal of Educational Research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101808
Wiseman, A. W., & Davidson, P. M. (2021). Institutionalized Inequities and the Cloak of Equality in the South African Educational Context. Policy Futures in Education. DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1177/1478210321999197
Wiseman, A. W., Damaschke-Deitrick, L., Park, M. F., & Bell, J. C. (2020). Caught between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Gap between Rights-related Policies and Educational Opportunities for Unaccompanied Im/migrant Children in Detention. Journal of Latinos and Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2020.1850458
Wiseman, A. W. (Ed.). (2020). Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2019. International Perspectives on Education and Society Series. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Limited. ISBN: 9781838677244
Wiseman, A. W., & Zhao, X. (2020). Parents’ expectations for the educational attainment of their children: A cross-national study using PIRLS 2011. Prospects: Comparative Journal of Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment, 48(3), 1-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-020-09460-7
Wiseman, A. W., Damaschke-Deitrick, L., Galegher, E. L., & Park, M. F. (Eds.). (2019). Comparative Perspectives on Refugee Youth Education: Dreams and Realities in Educational Systems Worldwide. New York: Routledge/Taylor and Francis Publishing. ISBN: 9781138359499
Wiseman, A. W. (2013). Policy Responses to PISA in Comparative Perspective (pp. 303-322), in H.-D. Meyer & A. Benavot (Eds.), PISA, Power, and Policy: The Emergence of Global Educational Governance. Oxford: Symposium Books. ISBN: 9781873927960
Wiseman, A. W., & Al-bakr, F. (2013). The Elusiveness of Teacher Quality: A Comparative Analysis of Teacher Certification and Student Achievement in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries. Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, 43(3), 289-309. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11125-013-9272-z
Wiseman, A. W. (2010). The Uses of Evidence for Educational Policymaking: Global Contexts and International Trends (pp.1-24), in A. Luke, G. J. Kelly, & J. Green (Eds.). Review of Research in Education, Volume 34. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X09350472
Wiseman, A. W., Astiz, M. F., Fabrega, R., & Baker, D. P. (2010). Making Citizens of the World: The Political Socialization of Youth in Formal Mass Education Systems. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 41(5), 561-577. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2010.530764
Wiseman, A. W., & Baker, D. P. (2005). The Worldwide Explosion of Internationalized Education Policy (pp.1-21), in D. P. Baker & A. W. Wiseman (Eds.), Global Trends in Educational Policy (International Perspectives on Education and Society, Vol. 6). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1479-3679(04)06001-3
College of Education
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Email
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