Dr. Terri N. Watson is proud of her Harlem background, and although much of her earlier research was conducted in Florida where she earned her Ph.D., she has returned to her roots and is breaking new ground as an assistant professor in the City College of New York’s School of Education.
Back in New York since 2012, Watson has initiated new programs to assess student outcomes in different ways and to encourage parental engagement centered on today’s realities of urban families. She also has developed innovative partnerships to introduce students to professional careers.
Watson, who teaches in the department of leadership and special education, says her research is solution-oriented.
“We already know what our challenges are,” she tells Diverse. “I want to see what we can do to change these realities and which programs and initiatives we can start to help improve outcomes and experiences.”
Watson is conducting a grant-funded longitudinal study of the leadership practices in a large, predominantly Latinx and Black high school. In a research-practice partnership, she works closely with the school’s leadership team to strengthen parent engagement and school-community relations in ways that support student success.
“I’m working with principals and their leadership teams to develop best practices,” she says. “It’s not just me coming in and saying what’s wrong. It’s me working with the team saying what can we do better, what can we do differently, what have we learned from these challenges and what did we do well so that we can continue to build on that?”
Watson also began a dialogue with young girls. “Actually, they were interested in talking to me,” she says. “They wanted to tell me their stories, and I was honored. They wanted to be heard. It was eye-opening in many respects.”
