News

The event launching Penn GSE’s McGraw Center for Educational Leadership set the tone for the Center’s future: gathering great educational minds from across the School along with outside experts to tackle the big issues facing education today.

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

When Brittany Robertson and Serrano Legrand met in 2016, they became instant friends. Prospective students, they knew exciting opportunities lay ahead – but they never imagined they’d star together in one of their favorite reality TV shows.

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.

Dean Pam Grossman has guided Penn GSE through a capital campaign, a global pandemic, a historic building expansion, and unprecedented growth with ambition and compassion. The breadth of all she has accomplished came into sharp relief when she announced the bittersweet news that she would be stepping down this summer.

Tamir Harper, a teacher at the Henry C. Lea School and master’s degree student at Penn GSE, recently shared with Penn Today that although “it’s exhausting sometimes” and “a lot of pressure,” being a Black male educator “is an honor.”

The Penn GSE community gathered to celebrate staff members with 10 or more years of service on Wednesday, June 21. Honorees were awarded with certificates and words of acknowledgment for 5-year milestones.

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.”

The annual Alumni Weekend event included a panel discussion, an awards ceremony, and recognition of teachers who have served in classrooms for more than five years.

The jobs of educators are among the most difficult to automate, Dr. James Lester said in a keynote celebrating the launch of the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership, but artificial intelligence (AI) still has massive potential to transform classrooms.

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.

Five GSE students and recent graduates were among the twenty-nine members of the Penn community awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for the 2023–24 academic year.

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.

She was selected as one of 25 fellows from a highly competitive pool of early-career scholars.

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.

The "Abbott Elementary" auteur delivered this message to one of the largest classes in Penn GSE history during the 2023 commencement ceremony.

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.

With a shared interest in designing more effective and inclusive learning strategies, Penn GSE and Anant National University hosted three dozen international educators for the Future of Learning International Design Collaborative March 28–30 in Ahmedabad, India.

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

Four projects led by Penn GSE faculty members are among those receiving grants from the Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant Program this year, including A. Brooks Bowden, Bodong Chen, Zachary Herrmann, and Dan Wagner.

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.

Ariane Thomas, a Penn GSE lecturer and director of the Professional Counseling Program, and her colleagues have received a Projects for Progress award for their Positioned for Success initiative.

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.

In a major study published today, Baker and fellow researchers argue that replacing “pipeline” with “pathway” is a better metaphor and will unlock new insights and improve higher education.

The School’s ed policy and higher ed programs are also in the top 10, continuing a 16-year stretch.

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.

The commitment provides funding for two key initiatives focused on early childhood education.

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.

The Child Development and Education Professor is one of five Penn faculty being recognized this year for significant contributions to academia, policy and research.

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.

Nearly 100 Penn GSE-affiliated presenters are attending the leading international conference on education research, April 13-16.

Robert Zemsky and representatives from a dozen colleges recently met to discuss three-year bachelor’s degree pilot programs. Their ambitions are grand, but the future is uncertain, reports Inside Higher Ed.

Katharine Strunk, an award-winning ed policy scholar, has been named the next dean of Penn GSE, effective July 1. The announcement was made today by Penn President Liz Magill.