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Peters, Lyda

Core Faculty
Ph.D.
Boston College, Lynch School of Education
Boston
School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education, Interdisciplinary Studies and Teaching Social Justice programs
National Institute for Teaching Excellence

Academic Focus

Education History, Curriculum & Instruction, Civil Rights, Social Justice, Educational Technology

Community Involvement

More than 45 years as an educator and community activist with a commitment to social justice and civil rights.

President of the Ruth M. Batson Educational Foundation. Ruth Batson was a civil rights activist, philanthropist, and vocal advocate for African American children, families, and institutions. The Foundation awarded more than $1 million to these individuals & groups.

Member of Blackside, Inc. Eyes on the Prize teacher training team.

Selected appointments to governmental boards and committees: Governor’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, Boston Employment Commission, Commonwealth of MA Board of Registration of Social Workers.

Courses Taught
  • Civil Rights & Social Justice: A History of the Civil Rights Movement
  • Foundations of Social Justice
  • Graduate Research & Writing
  • Motivation and Teaching: Theories and Practices
  • Theories of Leadership
  • Using Educational Technology to Improve Teaching & Learning
  • Integration of Technology & Computer Applications
  • Professional Seminars in the NITE and the Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
Education

Ph.D. May 2017, Boston College, Lynch School of Education, Department of Teacher Education, Special Education, and Curriculum and Instruction; Program of Curriculum and Instruction

M.Ed., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

B.A., Psychology, Regis College, Weston, MA

Insight

"What is important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood." -- Audre Lorde 

The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action (Sister Outsider, 1984)

Professional Experience
  • Lecturer / Part-Time Faculty, Boston College, African & African Diaspora Studies
  • Assistant Professor (Education), Boston University School of Medicine, Division of Psychiatry
  • Director of Training for the Consultation and Education Program, Boston University School of Medicine, Division of Psychiatry, Solomon Carter Mental Health Center
  • Director of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) Program for the Newton Public Schools
  • Minority Business & Community Outreach Consultant: Copley Place Boston, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, & Massachusetts World Trade Center
  • Associate Development Manager, Urban Investment & Development Co.
  • Boston Public School Teacher
Awards & Recognitions

Radcliffe Institute Fellowship

Carnegie Fellowship

Museum of African American History 350 Outstanding Black Citizens Award

Research & Publications

Peters, Lyda. Dissertation title: Reclaiming the Narrative: Black Community Activism and Boston School Desegregation History, 1960-1975

Batson, R. & Peters, L. (1976). Community crisis intervention and the Boston school desegregation effort: Case study of a training program. Boston University, MA.

Bandler, B., Batson, R. & Peters, L. (1979). “The role of a consultation and education program in promoting collaboration between professionals and paraprofessionals and between an urban community and its mental health center.” In: Theory and practice with paraprofessionals in mental health. Human Sciences Press, NY.

Zwerling, I., Batson, R., et. al. (1976). “Racism, elitism, professionalism – barriers to community mental health.” In: Community mental health training programs: Some designs. Jason Aronson, Inc.

Selected Presentations

Teaching the History of America’s Modern Civil Rights Movement Across Regions and Time in a Distance Learning Course. 2005 Learning Technologies Combined Presence Conference, Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia

Emancipatory Education on the Streets of Roxbury: The Transformative Nature of Boston’s Black Community, 1960-1980. Boston University African American Studies Program 2009 Conference: African Americans in Boston: From Slavery to Today.

Boston School Desegregation: A Northern Black Education Movement and the People Who Led It. 36th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association, November 2011, Boston, MA.

The Black Education Movement in Boston: Voices of Resistance and Instrumentality. Association for the Study of African America Life and History (ASALH), 2013 Black History Theme – At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington, October 2013, Jacksonville, FL.

The Black Education Movement in Boston as Told Through Oral History. New England Historical Association, October 2013, New Haven Connecticut.

“It Doth Not Appear What She Will Be:” Ruth Batson and the Black Education Movement in Boston. History of Education Society Annual Meeting, November 2013, Nashville, TN.

Boston’s Black Education Movement, 1934-1975, The Organization of American Historians (OAH), April 2014, Atlanta, GA.

Professional Memberships & Affiliations
  • Association for the Study of African American Life & History (ASALH)
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  • Museum of African American History
  • American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Massachusetts, AFL-CIO
  • Educators for Social Responsibility
  • Intel® Teach to the Future Pre-Service Program Certification
  • Distance Education Certificate, University of West Georgia