Dr. Caroline Watts is the Director of the Office School and Community Engagement (OSCE) at Penn GSE and works to facilitate and support partnerships with schools and communities in order to improve the educational outcomes and overall wellbeing of children and youth in Philadelphia. Over her career as a psychologist, program administrator, practicing child therapist, and university educator, she has focused her work on creating innovative institutional partnerships among schools, universities, and community health organizations that support equity and access to high-quality resources for urban children, youth, and families.

Dr. Watts’s work with OSCE directly supports the mission of the School and the University in engaging meaningfully, intentionally, and with documented impact with the city of Philadelphia. The Office serves as a hub for cultivating and supporting partnerships with schools and communities to improve the educational outcomes and overall wellbeing of children and youth in Philadelphia. Through a responsive stance, Dr. Watts and her team in OSCE work to leverage GSE’s expertise and resources to meet the priorities and needs identified by students, families, leaders, educators, and schools. The OSCE supports partnerships and projects at the individual school, network, and district levels in the School District of Philadelphia, working closely with GSE faculty and staff as well as University partners including the Netter Center for Community Partnerships.

Dr. Watts has over 30 years of experience working in community and school settings to develop models for prevention and intervention services provided through university–community–school collaborative structures. Her experience has crossed public, private, and residential treatment settings to develop prevention and intervention programs for children and youth with a wide array of needs. She currently serves as a Faculty Director of the interdisciplinary Field Center for Children’s Policy, Research and Practice at Penn, and as a member of several cross-School committees and groups. Before coming to Penn GSE in 2008, Dr. Watts was the founding director of the Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships Program (CHNP), the community mental health outreach program of the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Watts was also a lecturer on education in the Risk and Prevention Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a licensed practitioner of psychology in Pennsylvania.

Research Interests and Current Projects

Dr. Watts’s current projects are grounded in developing effective and sustainable strategies for improvement in schools in order to enhance the wellbeing of children and the development of faculty and staff who serve them. The OSCE is taking on the development of models for academic support, teacher professional development, and stress and burnout management for educators, all in a university–school partnership structure. Research and evaluation efforts are connected to each of these strategies to assess efficacy, feasibility, and safety, as well as replication and portability opportunities. Her largest current project is an exploration of the partnership process and outcomes of the University’s collaboration with the Henry C. Lea School in West Philadelphia.

Publications

Selected Publications

Zorc, C. S., O’Reilly, A. L., Matone, M., Long, J., Watts, C. L., & Rubin, D. (2013, May). The relationship of placement experience to school absenteeism and changing schools in young, school-aged children in foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(5), 826–833.

Noonan K. G., Matone, M., Zlotnik, S., Hernandez-Mekonnen, R., Watts, C. L., Rubin, D. M., & Mollen C. (2012, February). Cross-system barriers to educational success for children in foster care: The front line perspective. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(2), 403–408.

Beardslee, W. R., Ayoub, C. C., Avery, M. W., Watts, C. L., & O’Carroll, K. L. (2010, October). Family connections: An approach for strengthening early care systems in facing depression and adversity. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.

Beardslee, W. R., Avery, M. W., Ayoub, C.C., Watts, C. L., & Lester, P. (2010, September). Building resilience: The power to cope with adversity. Zero to Three: Practical Tips.

Feigenberg, L. F., Watts, C. L., & Buckner, J.C. (2010, June). The school mental health capacity instrument: Development of an assessment and consultation tool. Journal of School Mental Health.

Nikitopoulos, C. E., Waters, J. S., Collins, E., & Watts C. L. (2009). Understanding violence: A school initiative for violence prevention. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 37, 275–288.

Beardslee, W., Avery, M., Ayoub, C., & Watts, C. L. (2009). Family connections: Helping early Head Start/Head Start staff and parents make sense of mental health challenges. Journal of Zero to Three,29(6), 34–43.

Ayoub, C., Beardslee, W., Avery, M., & Watts, C. L. (2009). Preventive intervention for parental depression: Making family connections. In Head Start Bureau, Administration of Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start Bulletin, 80.

Watts, C. L., & Buckner, J. C. (2007). Children’s Hospital neighborhood partnerships: A model for service delivery and systems change through school-community-university collaboration. The Community Psychologist, 40(3).

Reilly, N. R., Botta, A., & Watts, C. L. (2005). Depression in adolescents. In D. R. DeMaso & J. Gold (Eds.), An adolescent mental health and wellness curriculum: A starter kit for schools. Boston, MA: Children's Hospital Boston and McLean Hospital.

Gerber, E. B., & Watts, C. L. (2005). Evaluating mental health prevention programs in schools. In D. R. DeMaso & J. Gold (Eds.), An adolescent mental health and wellness curriculum: A starter kit for schools. Boston, MA: Children's Hospital Boston and McLean Hospital.

Watts, C. L. (2005). Using the adolescent mental health and wellness curriculum in your school. In D. R. DeMaso & J. Gold (Eds.), An adolescent mental health and wellness curriculum: A starter kit for schools.Boston, MA: Children's Hospital Boston and McLean Hospital.

Watts, C. L., & Murphy, J. A. (1998). The early childhood prevention project manual. Selman, R. L., Watts, C. L., & Schultz, L. H. (1997). Fostering friendship: Pair therapy for treatment and prevention. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter.

News & Media

Penn GSE News

A shared passion for community engagement

The Graduate School of Education helps students put their knowledge into practice through community engagement. Three soon-to-be graduates speak with Penn Today about how their service enabled them to deepen their connection with West Philadelphia.

May 14, 2024

A new high-touch, low-tech approach to summer learning is increasing student engagement in West Philadelphia

The Netter Center and Penn GSE are testing out a new approach based on feedback from teachers, families, and students. The 6-week pilot replaces traditional course blocks with round-robin stations and eschews technology, with each classroom led by a team of five educators.

August 21, 2023

Recent forum discussed gun violence and its impact on Philadelphia schools

Already reeling from the ongoing disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, local classrooms have been beset by gun violence and its troubling effects on mental health.

May 4, 2022

Chalkbeat, Resolve Philly, Penn GSE to host panel on Philadelphia gun violence, impact on students’ mental health

A panel of experts, school leaders, and students will discuss Philadelphia’s historic levels of gun violence and how the rise in violence is affecting students and schools still reeling from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 13, 2022

Panel addresses mental health in student populations

Speaking to an audience of Penn GSE alumni and friends, three mental health professionals shared ways in which they’re responding to students’ mental health during transitional times.

January 11, 2022

Blending academics and fun: Projects for Progress award powers local summer program from Penn GSE and Netter Center

A joint Penn GSE and Netter Center for Community Partnerships initiative meshed academics and joy to prepare students to return to classrooms this fall.

October 5, 2021

Summer program in West Philadelphia focused on reconnecting students to the joy of learning

An inaugural Penn Projects for Progress program led by a Penn GSE team focused on reconnecting West Philadelphia students to school and one another, rather than academic remediation.

September 24, 2021

‘Redshirting’ debate raises questions for parents of children with late birthdays

Caroline Watts told the Philadelphia Inquirer that parents need to think about their child’s unique development.

August 23, 2018

In the Media

How one Philadelphia teen shooting survivor navigates trauma and recovery with family and friends by his side

Dr. Caroline Watts believes that some students may require additional support due to developing a chronic fear of violence.

WHYY | February 8, 2023

Projects for Progress, two years in

Colleagues from Penn GSE and the Netter Center were honored for being selected in the first cohort of the new Projects for Progress award.

Penn Today | October 18, 2022

Understanding the pandemic classroom

Caroline Watts discusses educators’ experiences during the early days of the pandemic, lessons learned and how the classroom might be different in the coming months.

Penn Today | August 31, 2021

Inaugural Projects for Progress recipients announced

Caroline Watts, Diane Waff, Zachary Herrmann, Marsha Richardson, and Regina Bynum were selected to implement their initiative “Bridging Gaps and Building Capacity: Student and Educator Supports for School Reopening in Learning Network 2.” The initative will provide evidence-based programming and professional development at one to two summer learning sites in West Philadelphia, followed by network-wide professional learning supports throughout the 2021-22 academic year.

Penn Today | May 18, 2021

Why many Philly students aren’t logging on for school, and what that could mean for September

Caroline Watts commented on the six weeks it took for the Philadelphia school district to distribute laptops to its students after Gov. Wolf ordered schools to close. “The greater the lag in the time off, the harder it is to engage students,” said Watts.

The Philadelphia Inquirer | May 24, 2020

Through partnerships, Kensington Health Sciences Academy to open health center

Penn GSE will be involved in providing counseling and social work services for the center as part of the Penn Futures Project.

Philadelphia Tribune | May 31, 2016

Press Releases

Reopening schools alone will not solve student mental health issues, Penn GSE experts say

Caroline Watts and Marsha Richardson say re-opening schools and supporting the mental health of both students and school staff is not an either/or issue.

July 8, 2020

The Educator's Playbook

Talking to kids about the coronavirus

Caroline Watts says parents can help kids feel stable, safe, and secure while also taking the outbreak very seriously.

Parents asked questions about living in lockdown. Penn GSE experts answered.

Advice on dealing with short tempers, screen time, and what to do when your child wants to get a dog during lockdown.

Talking to your kids about the election

Hint: What you do is more important than what you say.

Tips to avoid burnout for teachers working this summer

Penn GSE’s Caroline Watts shares what educators can do to take care of themselves with less time to recharge this summer.

Awards & Honors

Caroline Watts has been awarded a $14,500 grant from the Neubauer Family Foundation to partner with the Office of School and Community Engagement (OSCE). The grant is to evaluate the Restart Schools Program, which awarded mini-grants to nearly 50 schools to help with school reopening this fall.

Posted on September 15, 2021

Caroline Watts has received a grant award from the Neubauer Family Foundation to support the Office of School and Community Engagement (OSCE) through the hire of a Research Coordinator. The Research Coordinator will increase the capacity of the OSCE by responding to data requests, enabling the OSCE to continue to build external relationships within the community and deepen its impact.

Posted on February 15, 2020

Caroline Ebby and Caroline Watts have received $2,993,280 from the National Science Foundation for their four-year project "Building Sustainable Networked Instructional Leadership in Elementary Mathematics through a University Partnership with a Large Urban District."

Posted on September 19, 2018

A partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, Neighborhood Network 2 (West Philadelphia) will build capacity in mathematics instruction and achievement in grades 3-8. Funded by the Carl Haas Foundation & the William Penn Foundation, this project leverages established research and practice relationships between the SDP & Penn GSE’s CPRE in the use of formative assessment in mathematics improvement.

Posted on May 24, 2016