Ariel Tichnor-Wagner
Program Director, MA in Educational Policy Studies
Lecturer
Dr. Ariel Tichnor-Wagner is a lecturer and program director of the Educational Policy Studies program at the BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. She is also affiliated faculty with the Wheelock Educational Policy Center (WEPC). Her research focuses on education policy and politics, with an emphasis on policy and program implementation, continuous improvement research, school improvement, civics education, global citizenship education, and teacher policy. Having begun her career as a public school teacher, Dr. Tichnor-Wagner is deeply committed to research that supports educators in designing and implementing policies and practices that support the academic and social-emotional development of diverse and historically underserved students.
Previously, Dr. Tichnor-Wagner worked as a senior fellow at ASCD and collaborated with the US Department of Education, US State Department, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation, and other organizations on issues related to global competence and educational change. She has conducted evaluations for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on civic education and teacher licensure policies, and is a research partner with the Boston Public Schools on projects focused on professional learning and improvement science.
Dr. Tichnor-Wagner is the author of two books on globally competent teaching and leading, and her research has appeared in a variety of academic journals and popular education media outlets, including Educational Administration Quarterly, Teachers College Record, Educational Policy, Leadership and Policy in Schools, the Journal of Educational Change, Education Policy Analysis Archives, and Education Week.
Pronouns: she/her
Recent News
- Invest in Civic Education. If Not Now, When?
- Report Explores Civic Education in Massachusetts
- How Can Schools Better Teach Civics?
- Ariel Tichnor-Wagner to Lead State Civics Education Evaluation
- BU Wheelock Welcomes New Faculty Members
In the Media
Education
PhD, Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
MEd, Elementary Education, Arizona State University
BA, American History, University of Pennsylvania
Courses
Introduction to Research
Qualitative Research Methods
Diversity & Justice in Education
Public Policy Basics for Researchers
International Educational Policy
Global Citizenship & Education
Research
William T. Grant Foundation. A Networked Improvement Community Approach to Equitable Literacy in Urban Schools. Coleman, H. (P.I), Tichnor-Wagner, A. (Co-P.I), Zaff, J. (Co-P.I).
The Boston Public Schools. Boston Public School’s Telescope Network. Tichnor-Wagner, A. (P.I.)
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Evaluating Emergency Licensure in Massachusetts. Bacher-Hicks, A. (P.I.), Chi, O. (Co-P.I.), & Tichnor-Wagner (Co-P.I.).
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Research Civics Education/Evaluation of Civics Programming in MA K-12. Tichnor-Wagner, A. (P.I.), Kawashima-Ginsberg, K. (Co-P.I.).
Selected Publications
Tichnor-Wagner, A. Bennet, E., Parkhouse, H., Schcolnik, A. (2022). Towards a cohesive union? Currents and cleavages in state civic education policy discourses. American Journal of Education.
Tichnor-Wagner, A. (2021). Accelerating character education learning through a networked approach: Insights from the Kern Partners for Character and Educational Leadership. Journal of Education.
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Kawashima-Ginsberg, K., & Hayat, N. (2020). The state of civic education in Massachusetts: A report prepared for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. https://circle.tufts.edu/sites/default/files/2021-01/MA_DESE_civics_full_report.pdf
Tichnor-Wagner, A. (2020). Becoming a globally competent school leader. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Cain, J.M., Glazier, J., & Parkhouse, H. (2019). Becoming a globally competent teacher. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tichnor-Wagner, A. (2019). District leaders as implementers of instructional reform: A comparative case study of global education. Journal of Educational Change, 20(4), 495-525.
Tichnor-Wagner, A. (2019). Globally-minded leadership: A new approach for leading schools in diverse democracies. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 15(2).
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Allen, D., Socol, A.R., Cohen-Vogel, L., Rutledge, S., & Xing, Q. (2018). Studying implementation within a continuous improvement process: What happens when we design with adaptations in mind? Teachers College Record, 120(5).
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Wachen, J., Cannata, M., & Cohen-Vogel, L. (2017). Continuous improvement in the public school context: Understanding how educators respond to Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycles. Journal of Educational Change. 18(4), 465-494.
Tichnor-Wagner, A. & Allen, D. (2016). Accountable for care: Cultivating caring school communities in urban high schools. Leadership and Policy in Schools. 15(4), 406-447.
Tichnor-Wagner, A., & Rose, A.R. (2016). The presidential platform on twenty-first century education goals. Education Policy Analysis Archives. 25(64), 1-32.
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Harrison, C., & Cohen-Vogel, L. (2016). Cultures of learning in effective high schools. Educational Administration Quarterly. 52(4), 602-642.
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Parkhouse, H., Glazier, J., & Cain, J. (2016). Expanding approaches to teaching for diversity and justice: Fostering global citizenship across content areas. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24(59), 1-35.
Selected Presentations
Tichnor-Wagner, A., & Okun, A. (April, 2023). “This is for you, this is for us”: Learning as leadership in an educator network. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, Illinois.
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Bacher-Hicks, A., & Chi, O. (April, 2023). The promises and challenges of emergency teacher licensure in strengthening and diversifying the educator workforce. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, Illinois.