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Terri N. Watson is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at T��ɫ��Ƶ and a member of the Urban Education faculty at The City University of New York’s Graduate Center. 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. She employs Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Theory and Motherwork as methodological frameworks. Her scholarship is featured in several edited books and journals, including Educational Administration Quarterly, the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, The Journal of Negro Education, the Journal of School Leadership, and Leadership and Policy in Schools.

Dr. Watson was named a 2020 – 2022 Faculty Lead in conjunction with The Seminar on Public Engagement and Collaborative Research at The Graduate Center’s Center for the Humanities, The City University of New York (). She is also the guest editor for a special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration and History (Routledge) titled, A Seat at the Table: Examining the Impact, Ingenuity, and Leadership Practices of Black Woman and Girls in PK – 20 Contexts. Each manuscript utilized a critical methodology to center the lived experiences of Black women and girls in schools ().

During the 2020 – 2021 academic year, Dr. Watson was named a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University at Buffalo's Center for Diversity Innovation. Through her work at the Center, she aimed to transform the schoolhouse into a 'Beloved Community’ 
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Special Issue of a Journal

Watson, T. N. (Ed.). (2020). Editorial introduction. 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. 52(3), 241-243.

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.

Journal Articles

Watson, T. N., & Alston, J. A. (in press). What’s old is new again: The challenges and possibilities of culturally responsive instructional leadership. Journal of Educational Supervision. 

Walrond, H., & Watson, T. N. (under review). “Don’t ever forget - these children are somebody’s hope”: Black superintendents as community-engaged leaders in shaping district policy and practice. Journal of School Leadership. 

Watson, T. N. (2025). A framework for Black feminist school leadership. Journal of Educational Administration and History. 1-16.

Watson, T. N. (2022). In the matter of Charlene Skipwith and Another: Harlem’s mothers fight for educational and social justice. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. 1-14. 

DeMatthews, D., Serafini, A., & Watson, T.N. (2021). Leading inclusive schools: Principal perceptions, practices, and challenges to meaningful change. Educational Administration Quarterly. 1-46. 

Watson, T. N., & Miles Nash, A. (2021). Challenging whiteness at Claremont High School. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership.

Watson, T. N., & Baxley, G. S. (2021). Centering “Grace”: Challenging anti-Blacknesss in schooling through motherwork. Journal of School Leadership. 1-16.

Watson, T. N. (2020). Harlem’s ‘motherwork’ post-Brown: Implications for urban school leaders. Journal of Educational Administration and History. 52(3), 244-255.

DeMatthews, D., Serafini, A., & Watson, T.N. (2020). Leading inclusive schools: Principal perceptions, practices, and challenges to meaningful change. Educational Administration Quarterly. 1-46.

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), 94 – 104.

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.

*This article was named "2015 Article of The Year" by the journal. 

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.

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. & Tillman, L. C. (2024). Black women as instructional leaders: Historical and contemporary perspectives. In D. R. Cormier, I.M. Mette, & Y. Oliveras (Eds.) Culturally responsive instructional supervision: Leadership for equitable and emancipatory outcomes. (pp. 231-250). New York and London: Teachers College Press.

Watson, T. N. (2021). ‘Harlem’s motherwork’: A valuable resource for urban school leaders. In R.N. Guillaume, N. Witherspoon Arnold, & A.F. Osanloo (Eds.). The Handbook of Urban Educational Leadership. (pp. 175 – 191). Lanham, MD.: Rowman & Littlefield.

Watson, T. N. & Miles Nash, A. (2021). She wears a crown: Centering Black girlhood in schools. In O. Delano-Oriaran, M.W. Penick, S.J. Arki, A. Michael, O. Swindell, & E. Moore Jr. Teaching beautiful brilliant Black girls: A radical transformation for educators. (pp. 254-257). Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press, Inc.

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 and London: 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, T. N. (2013). Sustaining school leaders: A critical race theory approach.
In E. Lyle (Ed.), Bridging the 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.

Encyclopedia Entries

Watson, T. N., & Wilson, I. (In print). Motherwork. In S. Powell & K. Henry (eds.), The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Social Justice in Education (vol 1: Race and Ethnicity). Bloomsbury. 

Cox, C. & Watson, T. N. (2025). Intersectionality. In E. Blair & S. Deckman (eds.) The Sage Encyclopedia of Education and Gender. (pp. 455 –459). Thousand Oaks, CA.

Watson, T. N. & McClellan, P. (2020). The impact of Black women leaders on student achievement. The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxford, Eng.: Oxford University Press.

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.

Invited Presentations

Edwards, E. B., & Watson, T. N. (2025, September 10). Teaching liberation: Education by us, for us. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. New York, New York.

Watson, T. N (2025, February 4). In search of our mothers’ gardens. Colgate University. Colgate, New York.

Watson, T. N. (2024, May 9). Creating beloved communities: Engaging families in culturally responsive ways. ESBOCES Annual DEI Conference. Eastern Suffolk County, Long Island.

Watson, T. N. (2024, February 14). In our mothers’ gardens: A stroll through prose and lyrics. Region 2 Black Employment Program, Environmental Protection Agency.

Watson, T. N. (2024, January 24). Improving en loco parentis: Engaging families and communities in culturally responsive ways. The Ceedar Center in collaboration with the University Council for Education Administration.

Watson, T. N. (2022, December 9). The illusive quest for racial justice in the schoolhouse. Åbo Akademi University. Vaasa, Finland.

Watson, T. N. (2022, September 30). Teaching and learning in a beloved community. Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA.

Watson, T. N. (2022, September 20). Conditions in Harlem revisited. Panel Discussion. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. New York, New York.

Watson, T. N. (2022, February 19). Don’t touch my hair: Racialized violence on Black girls in schools. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. presents Hair, Health and Social Justice. Columbus, Ohio.

Watson, T. N. (2020, October 17). The schools we need: Lessons learned from Harlem. Keynote Address. Centre for Leadership & Diversity. Inaugural International Symposium. Transformative Leadership & Decolonial Praxis. University of Toronto, Canada.

Watson, T. N. (2019, October 23). The schools we need: Lessons learned from Harlem’s mothers and othermothers. The Barbara L. Jackson, Ed.D. Lecture, Lincoln Center Campus, Fordham University.

Watson, T. N. (2018, February 23). I know why the caged Black adolescent girl sings. The 2018 Winter Roundtable, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York.

Watson, T. N. (2017, November 16). From Harlem to the academy: The intersection of race, class, and gender in teaching, scholarship, and service. Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows, T��ɫ��Ƶ.

Watson, T. N. (2017, September 20). Leading urban schools in the new Jim Crow: Education, leadership, & policy. The Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference, Washington, D. C.

Watson, T. N. (2016, April 16). Shutting down the school to prison pipeline. The National Action Network 2016 Annual Meeting, New York, New York.

Watson, T. N. (2015, April 25). Schools designed with us in mind. The 2015 Diversity in Research and Practice Conference, Teachers College, Columbia University.

Noguera, P., Lewis-McCoy, R. L., & Watson, T.N.  (2015, March 31). New schools, old problems. A public conversation on educational justice and change. Moderator of the 2^nd Annual Sternberg Family Lecture in Public Scholarship at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, T��ɫ��Ƶ.

Watson, T. N. (2014, December 4). No child left behind: A Harlem tale. Presidential Conversations: Activism, Scholarship, and Engagement. T��ɫ��Ƶ.


Media Interviews & Mentions

2021   Interview. One to One. In this season premiere of "One to One", host Sheryl McCarthy looks at a hot topic now - Critical Race Theory - with Terri N. Watson. ()

2021    Mention. The Cincinnati Herald. No, critical race theory isn’t ‘anti-American.’
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2021   Mention. The Topeka Capital-Journal. The debate over critical race theory has cropped up   in Kansas. Here’s what you need to know.
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2021    Interview. Tuesday news brief. Cultural affirmation not punishment may reduce harm to Black girls in schools, researchers assert. ()

2021    Mention. DeseretNews. Why conservatives oppose critical race theory.
( com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/- conservatives-oppose-critical-race-theory-glenn-beck-tucker-carlson-heritage-foundation- gop)

2020 Interview. BBC World Service. What is Critical Race Theory?  *Start at 22 minute mark
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2020 Interview. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Universities must cultivate race-conscious policies to address historical inequities.
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2019 Mention. Fordham GSE News, Professor shares powerful lesson on “Motherwork” during Barbara L. Jackson Lecture.
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2019 Interview. In my classroom, I don’t see color, I don’t see race. What’s the problem
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2019 Interview. What every White teacher needs to know about teaching Black girls
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2018 Interview. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, “A Harlem Daughter Gives Back."
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2016 Interview. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals, “5 questions for Terri Watson."
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2016 Interview. EdCast with Dr. Linda Hirsch, “Black Girls in School: Wanting to Belong.” ()

2016 Interview. Education Week, “On Black Girls, Discipline, and Schools” ()

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