Terri has worked in schools for close to 40 years as an elementary school classroom teacher, a professor of education, and as a district literacy specialist. Most recently, she has served as the founding principal of a public school in New York City where she was tasked with establishing a school culture that centered children and supporting them on their individual learning paths, valued the professional expertise of her staff, and valued parents’ voices.   She has her Masters and Doctoral degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University.  

Terri believes that the best schools keep children at the center of decision making.  That means that all adults involved in the school need to be informed about child development, be careful and close “kid watchers,” and acknowledge the social, emotional and academic skills and ideas that young people bring to the school community.  Using an asset-based lens, we can design and facilitate learning experiences that challenge and engage all students and create an environment that provides the space children need to grow and excel. 

In order for this belief to be enacted, consistently practice and model our core beliefsWe need to trust and value the skills and expertise of the staff by empowering them to collaboratively plan for curriculum and instruction and to include their voices and ideas in finding solutions to challenges in our school. 

We also need to communicate clearly and compassionately with the families of our students.  This begins by listening to families and to recognize that we all want the best for the children and each person is doing their best to achieve this goal.  While our paths to achieving those goals may differ, we all want our children to be happy, confident, kind and skilled grown ups.