About

Dr. Joseph M. Piro is Professor at Long Island University in the Department of Teaching and Learning. He is also on the faculty of the doctoral program in Transformational Leadership where he teaches courses in psychology and education policy. His PhD examined cerebral asymmetries for music perception in differentially gifted adolescents. His research interests include the psychology of giftedness and special ability, as well as topics in brain and behavior including hand preference and, more recently, sleep and cognition.

His policy interests range from teacher education, especially as it involves global practices, to technology in education. In 2016 his book, Revolutionizing Higher Education Policy: Innovation and the Bologna Process was published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis. His most recent book, focusing on the OECD PISA survey, is titled The Primacy of PISA: The World's Most Important Test and How It's Changing Education Globally.  It was published by Bloomsbury/Rowman & Littlefield in 2019. 

He has received fellowships and awards from the Japan Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Getty Center, the Gilder-Lehrman Foundation, and the Fulbright organization to develop curriculum and teacher training projects in the humanities and social sciences. His articles have appeared in journals such as Psychology of Music, Cortex, Developmental Neuropsychology, Perceptual and Motor Skills, Journal of Motor Behavior, Journal of Aesthetic Education, and Arts Education Policy Review.

Prior to LIU, Dr. Piro served as a teacher and administrator in the New York City Public Schools.