News

Julie Wollman says large gifts are a legitimate reason to retain legacy preferences, but donors who want to reward universities for ending legacy could also step in and keep funds coming.

Jonathan Zimmerman considers quality monitoring in schools a civic responsibility given the need for an educated populace.

Damani White-Lewis shares insights into postdoctoral hiring inequities.

Pam Grossman says that selectivity has always been a part of what made Teach For America successful as the program tries to revamp post-pandemic.

In the wake of the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action, Jonathan Zimmerman writes that what will really make a difference for Black and brown students is improved classroom instruction.

Jonathan Zimmerman says a new take on summer schooling could connect more teachers with the passion and idealism that brought them into education in the first place.

Dean Katharine Strunk says data has grown increasingly political with the general polarization around public education; she says data does not need to be weaponized.

Ryan Baker says educators must look at a technology’s track record in the context of their own school’s demographics, geography, culture, and challenges when considering investing in new technology for the classroom.

Karen Weaver says the key indicator of a college's commitment to athletic excellence is how much the institution pays the head coach.

Jonathan Zimmerman says that, in light of affirmative action being overturned, some colleges may base admissions on income. That could bring in more white working-class students, which will make campuses more ideologically diverse places.

Julie Wollman says that many students aren't enrolling in college because they say, "I really don’t need to go to college. I can make just as much money going into the job market."

Dan Wagner says the U.S. and UNESCO need each other, especially in the field of education.

Jonathan Zimmerman says, “The best thing we could do to promote equity and inclusion in higher education would be to provide more tutoring and other academic support to first-generation and minority students."

Laura Perna says, “If we care about diversity in the student body, if we care about access to higher education for students from low-income families, then we have to be paying attention.”

Richard Ingersoll says giving educators more authority at their workplace makes them feel like respected professionals; teachers need to be given a lot of discretion.

Sigal Ben-Porath says progressive education advocacy ticked up last year and has been gaining steam since.

Jonathan Zimmerman calls the moves for conservative lawmakers becoming university presidents an “erosion of trust” in higher education to be unbiased.

A Q&A with Damani White-Lewis on his research investigating why university faculty still lack racial diversity and how to build pathways towards equity in higher education.

Jonathan Zimmerman criticizes legislation limiting what can be taught about American history.

Peter Eckel calls for college leaders to rethink strategic planning to ensure their institution thrives in the face of the pandemic and technological changes.

Laura Perna calls an education model where a student wouldn’t be penalized by having out-of-pocket costs and a loan "very attractive."

Jonathan Zimmerman criticizes the censorship of books in school as inhibiting free discussion.

As a keynote speaker at the "Racism, Racial Literacy and Mental Health" conversation, Howard Stevenson says you need to heal before you can fight to change racism.

Sigal Ben-Porath says the government is trying to impose perspectives on higher-education institutions and undermining their autonomy.

Richard Ingersoll identifies the primary causes of the teacher shortage–poor working conditions, low pay, and management issues–and discusses solutions to improve teacher retention.

Richard Ingersoll discusses teachers leaving the profession and how he arrived at his statistic that nearly half of educators quit within the first five years in a video interview.

Jonathan Zimmerman says people should not be stopped from choosing to participate in 'segregated' graduation ceremonies specialized for minority groups.

Jonathan Zimmerman says our colleges and universities do not effectively expose students to different points of view.

Laura Perna says a key difference between community colleges and four-year institutions is the type of degrees and credentials offered, and credit transfer is crucial for students.

Jonathan Zimmerman says the political “self-segregation” of students who want to avoid other viewpoints doesn’t help political divisions.

Jonathan Zimmerman sees the effort to bring religion into the classroom as–in some parts of the laws–clearly unconstitutional, while others are a bit more complicated.

Ryan Baker, who studies early warning systems, explains that the using demographic factors as predictors negatively impacts data.

Zachary Herrmann and Taylor Hausburg reflect on their Project-Based Learning for Global Climate Justice program and research project and are awarded a second year of funding through the Penn Environmental Innovations Initiative.

Jonathan Zimmerman expresses some apprehension about three-year bachelor degree programs, warning that policymakers need to consider carefully what students are getting out of college; Robert Zemsky, an advocate of the three-year program, says it won't work for everyone.

Brooks Bowden, Bodong Cheng, Zachary Hermmann and Dan Wagner are among the GSE faculty to receive Penn Global awards this year. The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant Program prioritizes projects that bring together leading scholars and practitioners across the University community and around the world to develop new insight on significant global issues, a core pillar of Penn’s global strategic framework.

Roberto Gonzales explains that 34% percent of DACA recipients don't have health insurance, but that could change with this proposed rule.

Jonathan Zimmerman says landing a tenure-track job has become akin to winning the lottery.

Two-time university president Julie Wollman shares insight on why it is unusual, yet admirable, that tenured and full-time faculty to support the ongoing graduate assistants and part-time faculty's strike at Rutgers.

Alan Ruby explains that the decline in Chinese student enrollment might be due to Chinese pandemic policies and reduced support of secondary support by the Chinese government.

Damani White-Lewis is featured in a story about scholars using COACHE data to focus on the academic workforce.

Karen Weaver says that the Big Ten were forward thinking when they created their own network from offerings for all their athletic programs.

Jonathan Zimmerman explained that attacks on Critical Race Theory and Social and Emotional Learning by conservatives represent a new nationalization of educational politics.

Jonathan Supovitz says that indicators of good schools for parents might include surveys of parent satisfaction, attendance rates, and district funding beyond state contributions.

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

Most adults think Black History Month is integral to the American story — but they disagree over whether it gets too much attention, according to a recent survey focused on polarization around American history and how to defuse the culture wars.

The results mean public schools need to do a better job of teaching both the history of minority groups and “what binds all of us together,” says Professor Jonathan Zimmerman, a #PennGSEExpert in the history of education.

Sigal Ben-Porath criticized the "Chicago principles" in 2018, saying they offer false assurance to colleges and universities in relation to free speech.

Nicole Carl says that teachers are feeling pressure from administrators to boost test scores.

Zimmerman noted that "American exceptionalism" is a rallying cry for the political right, but is not enshrined in law as an educational goal.

Dean Pam Grossman says that teaching programs should recruit locally, explaining that many people will teach within 30 miles of where they went to high school.

Zimmerman explains that hoop earrings were popular among both genders long before they were referenced in rap songs.