News

The 2025 Library of Congress Literacy Awards recognized both Penn GSE’s Philadelphia Writing Project and a startup founded by alum Rina Madhani, GED’19, for their contributions to literacy and community engagement.

Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington tells ABC News about the district's PASS Program partnership with Penn GSE to train its teachers and leaders in AI.

Penn GSE's Pioneering AI in School Systems (PASS) program helps local teachers and school and district leaders build competence in AI governance, policy, oversight, and practical application.

The seven innovators will compete for cash and prizes at the live pitch event on Thursday, September 11, at Quorum in Midtown Manhattan, held as part of HolonIQ’s Back to School Summit in New York City.

Jiang is designing AI learning experiences that empower all teachers to make their subjects relevant, inclusive, and interdisciplinary.

A global leader in intelligent tutoring systems, Isotani joined the Penn GSE faculty this summer, drawn by the School’s commitment to rethinking education through innovation.

Whether you're interested in education reform, prison education, or empathetic leadership, add these to your playlist and hear directly from the changemakers shaping the future of education.

How Penn GSE and the Franklin Institute are redefining AI literacy for youth.

The magazine interviews Jenny Zapf and Barbara Kurshan about the first-of-its-kind program, its evolving curriculum, and how they measure its ROI.

Penn GSE professors and programs are engaged in more than 150 international partnerships and projects in more than 60 countries around the globe. The goal? To change the world through education.

Former Dean Pam Grossman comments on what drives people to get into the field of education in an EdWeek article that asks “Can Gen Z Be Enticed to Teach?”

For this new certificate, the School has partnered with the Association for Talent Development, the world’s largest association dedicated to those who develop and enhance employee knowledge and skills.

New online course gives K–12 teachers practical tools to implement generative AI with confidence and purpose.

Janine Remillard says that in many math classes, a small handful of students answer all the questions, while those who either don’t understand, are less interested, or need more time tend to zone out. She provides insight into instructional strategies she uses in her math teacher training classes.

The second year of the Catalyst Innovation Summit brought together over 170 founders, investors, researchers, and educators for discussions of the edtech market, the importance of research-backed solutions, applicable lessons, and more.

Artificial intelligence tools can generate lesson plans in an instant—but that doesn’t ensure high-quality, enriching, and contextually relevant instruction. Bodong Chen provides advice on how to create engaging, effective, and contemporary lesson plans using AI.

In her commencement speech to the Graduate School of Education, Angela Duckworth discussed the value of AI.

Penn GSE will work with the School District of Philadelphia and Neubauer Family Foundation to support math instruction for students. Dean Katharine Strunk says, “We are honored to support teachers with the tools, training, and strategies that will help their students thrive in this critical subject.”

Robert Zemsky notes that the four-year curriculum expresses the preferences of faculty rather than students or parents.

On May 17, in the Palestra, Penn GSE commemorated the achievements of the roughly 700 master’s and doctoral graduates at this year’s Commencement ceremony.

The newly named office in Catalyst @ Penn GSE merges the expertise and expands the impact of two offices: the Penn Literacy Network and the Center for Professional Learning.

Ross Aikins supports integrating AI into education, emphasizing that universities must evolve to prepare students for a future shaped by generative AI.

From first-time presenters to seasoned scholars, the Penn GSE community showed up big at AERA 2025 with fresh ideas and powerful conversations.

The latest issue of Social Innovations Journal is an outgrowth of the center for global education innovation’s expertise and mission, capitalizing on their deep network of researchers, practitioners, entrepreneurs, and policy leaders.

Two teams of education master’s students were finalists in the co-curricular program at the business school, which brought together students from across the University with varying levels of experience in artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems in just one week.

Both Michael Golden and Betty Chandy are quoted in this story about the PASS program

This spring, those honors include three Spencer Foundation grants, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and more.

Lorea Peterson Rodondo will graduate in May with a dual degree from Penn GSE and Wharton. She discusses her ambition to apply lessons learned to education in her hometown of Mexico City and reflects on her experience at Penn.

Barbara Kurshan was named one of the 100 most influential people in e-learning for her leadership in advancing innovation at the intersection of education, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Michael Golden describes the district’s new AI training program, PASS, as a scalable model built on Philadelphia’s expertise, aiming to support educators globally by promoting responsible, informed integration of AI into school systems.

The Project-Based Learning for Global Climate Justice certificate program is a collaboration between Penn GSE and 70 educators around Asia, Africa, and Europe working together on a K–12 education program that emphasizes climate change and social inequalities.

Funded by the NSF, the Create AI workshop aimed to empower students and teachers to build, not just use, AI.

The subscription-based service is available to families and school counselors and is currently used in several Philadelphia-area schools, a national network of 25 charter schools, and even a school in Qatar.

A look at Penn GSE’s first-of-its-kind master’s program in education entrepreneurship in honor of its recent milestone birthday.

Bob Zemsky advocates for a three-year college degree model, emphasizing cost reduction, improved retention, and a focus on essential learning.

The project aims to make the research team’s findings more accessible to a wider audience.

The competition provides unparalleled benefits for education entrepreneurs, including expert mentorship, access to a global network of innovators, and the chance to compete for cash and prizes.

She has a bold vision for the future of Penn GSE that builds on the School’s strengths, responds to pressing needs, and aims to change the world.

Dr. Lilian Ajayi Ore has worked with the UN, established a foundation advocating for youth and women’s rights, and now works as a research scholar. She says Penn CLO’s practitioner–scholar approach has had a profound impact on her work.

The researcher and entrepreneur, who was formerly the CIO for for NASA's Johnson Space Center, gives a tour of her office including her launch photos and neurotech device.

Look back with us at some of the stories that defined 2024 for our community.

Jonathan Zimmerman suggested that colleges facing declining enrollment should adopt entrepreneurial strategies, such as upgrading their academic programs, to attract more students and remain competitive in a shrinking higher education market.

Katharine O. Strunk said the PASS program aims to prepare educators and students for a tech-driven future by fostering creativity, critical thinking, and responsible AI use.

Julee Gard — Vice President for Administration & Finance at the University of St. Francis in Illinois — has gained attention for her model’s ability to provide institutional leaders with actionable insights to enhance financial stability.

Penn GSE faculty and students contributed to discussions on quantitative ethnography at ICQE 2024, exploring innovative methods and applications in education.

Ryan Baker announced the University of Pennsylvania’s new master’s program in “Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence” to train professionals in applying AI within education and meeting industry demand.

In a newsletter roundup, Technical.ly highlighted the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education launching a new education degree in artificial intelligence, marking the third AI-related degree from Penn this year, alongside an undergraduate program and an online master's.

Ryan Baker is interviewed about the launch of our new master’s program in “Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.”

Launching Fall 2025, this fully online program prepares professionals to integrate AI and learning science, driving innovation in education globally.

Nominations for the 2025 McGraw Prize are now open.