Terri N. Watson
Associate Professor, Educational Leadership
Main Affiliation
School of Education
Additional Departments/Affiliated Programs
Leadership and Human Development
Areas of Expertise/Research
- School Leadership for Social Justice
- Urban School Leadership
- Critical Race Theory
- Black Feminist Theory / Motherwork
Building
North Academic Center
Office
4/218B
Phone
212-650-5605
Terri N. Watson
Profile
Terri N. Watson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership and Human Development at The City College of New York. A Harlem native, her research examines effective school leadership and is aimed to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of historically excluded and underserved students and families. Dr. Watson is the guest editor for a special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration and History (Taylor & Francis Group) titled, A Seat at the Table: Examining the Impact, Ingenuity, and Leadership Practices of Black Woman and Girls in PK – 20 Contexts (Publication Date: Summer 2020).
Dr. Watson’s scholarship may be found in the following journals and books: the Journal of the Center for Policy Analysis & Research (Inaugural Edition), Urban Education, The Journal of Negro Education, the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, The School Community Journal, Leadership and Policy in Schools, and in the books, Whiteucation: Privilege, Power, and Prejudice in School and Society (Routledge), Racially and Ethnically Diverse Women Leading Education: A World View (Emerald Publishing), and Educational Leadership and Music: Lessons for Tomorrow’s School Leaders (Information Age Publishing).
Publications
Special Issue of a Journal
Watson, T. N. (Ed.). (Publication Date - Summer 2020). A Seat at the Table: Examining the impact, ingenuity, and leadership practices of Black women and girls in PK – 20 Contexts. Journal of Educational Administration and History.
Davis, L.P., Crenshaw, K.W., Davison, C. H., & Watson, T. N. (Eds.). (2016). Editorial introduction. Why we can’t wait: (Re)Examining the opportunities and challenges for Black women and girls in education. The Journal of Negro Education, 85(3) 194-198.
Refereed Journal Articles
Watson, T. N. (2018). Zero tolerance school discipline policies and Black girls: The (un)intended consequences. Journal of the Center for Policy Analysis & Research, 167 – 187.
Brooks, J.S., & Watson, T.N. (2018). School leadership and racism: An ecological perspective. Urban Education. 1 – 25.
Watson, T. N. (2017). Effective school leadership and New York City’s immigrant and migrant children: A study. The International Journal of Educational Management. 31(5), 622 – 632.
Beachum, F. D., & Watson, T. N. (2017). The rebirth: Can we live? Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership. 20(2), 1 – 10.
Watson, T. N. (2016). “Talking Back”: The perceptions and experiences of Black girls who attend City High School. The Journal of Negro Education, 85(3), 239-249.
Watson, T. N., & Bogotch, I. (2016). (Re)Imagining school as community: Lessons learned from teachers. The School Community Journal, 26(1), 93–114.
Watson, T. N., & Rivera-McCutchen, R. (2016). #BlackLivesMatter: A call for transformative leadership. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 19(2), 3–11.
Watson, T. N., & Bogotch, I. (2015). Reframing parent involvement: What should urban school leaders do differently? Leadership and Policy in Schools, 14(3), 257-278.
Rivera-McCutchen, R., & Watson, T. N. (2014). Leadership for social justice: It is a matter of trust. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 17(4), 54 – 65.
Obiakor, F., Watson, T. N., & Beachum, F. (2014). The convergence of multicultural education and the 2012 London Olympics: What school leaders should know. Global Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 3(4), 210-216.
Harrell, J., & Watson, T. N. (2014). Instructional coaching: A model for professional development in the common core era. Journal of Ethical Educational Leadership, 1(13), 1-27.
Watson, T. N., & Hartman, H. (2013). Transformational leaders who practice metacognition. The Professional Journal: The New York Academy of Public Education, 8-11.
Watson, T. N., & Brown, K. (2010). A public relations nightmare: ACLU class action lawsuit exposes inaccurate and inequitable high school graduation rates. Journal of Public Relations, 31(4), 342-357.
Books
Watson, T. N., Brooks, J. S., & Beachum, F.D. (Eds.). (2017). Educational leadership and music: Lessons for tomorrow’s school leaders. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Watson, T. N., & Normore, A. (Eds.). (2016). Racially and ethnically diverse women leading education: A world view. United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing.
Book Chapters
Watson, T. N. (2018). Black girls, White privilege, and schooling. In J.S. Brooks & G. Theoharis (Eds). (2018). Whiteucation: Privilege, power, and prejudice in school and society. (pp. 116 – 131). New York: Routledge.
Watson, T. N. (2017). Lessons from school leaders from Sister Sledge:“We are family”. In T. N. Watson, J.S. Brooks, & F. D. Beachum (Eds.). (2017). Educational leadership and music: Lessons for tomorrow’s school leaders (pp. 275 – 282). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Watson, T. N., Hodgins, D. W., & Brooks, J. S. (2016). Paradigm shift or paradigm statis? An analysis of research on U.S. women in leadership from 1980 – 2004. In T. N. Watson & A. Normore (Eds.). (2016). Racially and ethnically diverse women leading education: A world view (pp.1 – 22). United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing.
Watson & A. Normore (Eds.). (2016). Racially and ethnically diverse women leading education: A world view (pp.1 – 22). United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing.
Watson, T. N. (2013). Using critical spirituality to sustain African American educational leaders: Looking back to the future. In E. Lyle (Ed.), Bridging theory & practice divide: Pedagogical enactment for socially just education (pp. 55-71). Big Tancook Island, NS: Backalong Books.
Watson, T. N., & Sughrue, J. (2013). Who’s zoomin' who? A critical race analysis of Florida’s public high school graduates. In J. S. Brooks & N. W. Arnold (Eds.), Confronting racism in higher education: Problems and possibilities for fighting ignorance, bigotry and isolation (pp. 181-204). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Blog Posts
Watson, T. N. (2019, September 7). The problem with colorblindness and other misnomers. Retrieve from (http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2019/09/the_colorblindness_of_schools_has_failed_children_of_color.html)
Watson, T. N. (2019, April 4). A love letter to Babette Edwards: Harlem’s “Othermother.”
Retrieve from https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/a-love-letter-to-babette-edwards-harlems-othermother.
Watson, T. N. (2019, February 24).‘Holla If You See Us’: Black Girls in spaces we call schools.
Watson, T. N. (2019, February 21). How should schools and districts respond to discipline disparities affecting Black girls? Retrieve from http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2019/02/how_should_schools_respond_to_discipline_disparities_affecting_black_girls.html
Watson, T. N. (2013, August 17). Tending our gardens. Retrieve from http://cpowellschoolblog.org/tag/education/
Casebook Entry
Watson, T. N. (2015). Managing to lead. In L. Sadeghi & K. Callahan (Ed.), Educational leadership in action: a casebook for aspiring educational leaders. (p. 191) New York: Routledge.
Encyclopedia Entries
Watson, T. N. (2016). High school graduation rates. In K. Lomotey (Ed.), Education: PK-12 and higher education volume of the Contemporary issues for people of color: Living, working and learning in the U.S. (pp. 156 – 166). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Watson, T. N. (2016). Busing. In K. Lomotey (Ed.), Education: PK-12 and higher education volume of the Contemporary issues for people of color: Living, working and learning in the U.S. (pp. 404 – 407). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Additional Information
SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION
The Journal of Negro Education, Editorial Board, 2015 - Present
Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Editorial Board, 2015 - 2018
Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, Editorial Board, 2014 – 2018
American Educational Research Association, Division A: Program Committee, 2016
New York City Department of Education, Division of Family and Community Engagement
Education Council Member, Citywide Council on High Schools (Manhattan)
Fall 2013 - Spring 2015
HONORS & AWARDS
2020 Faculty Lead. Seminar on Public Engagement and Collaborative Research. The Graduate Center. The City University of New York.
2017 CUNY Book Completion Award. The City University of New York.
2017 Citation / Certificate of Appreciation (for The G.O.O.D. Project) received from Gale A. Brewer, Borough President of Manhattan.
2016 Mellon Faculty Fellow, The City University of New York.
2015 Article of the Year (Reframing parent involvement: What should urban school leaders do differently?) Leadership and Policy in Schools.
2014 Faculty Mentor Award. Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, The City College of New York.
2013 Fellow. The Colin Powell Center’s Public Scholarship Program.
The City College of New York
2010 Outstanding Dissertation Award, School of Education, Florida Atlantic University.
2008 Asa G. Hilliard III and Barbara A. Sizemore Fellow, American Educational Research Association.
2008 Barbara L. Jackson Scholar, University Council for Educational Administration.
MEDIA INTERVIEWS & MENTIONS
2020 Interview. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Universities must cultivate race-conscious policies to address historical inequities
(https://diverseeducation.com/article/163844/)
2019 Mention. Fordham GSE News, Professor shares powerful lesson on “Motherwork” during Barbara L. Jackson Lecture
2019 Interview. In my classroom, I don’t see color, I don’t see race. What’s the problem?
2019 Interview. What every White teacher needs to know about teaching Black girls.
2018 Interview. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, “A Harlem Daughter Gives Back”
(https://diverseeducation.com/article/118818/)
2016 Interview. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals, “5 questions for Terri Watson”
(http://www.nysut.org/news/nysut-united/issues/2016/april-2016/5-questions-for-terri-watson)
2016 Interview. EdCast with Dr. Linda Hirsch, “Black Girls in School: Wanting to Belong” (http://www.cuny.tv/show/edcast/PR2005482)
2016 Interview. Education Week, “On Black Girls, Discipline, and Schools” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY4O96EN4to)
Videos:
Talking Back: The Perceptions and Experiences of Black Girls Who Attend City High School
Practices of urban school leaders on children and communiteis of color (subsciption required)
High school graduation rates: Critical Race Theory analysis (subsciption required)