News

Two Penn GSE alumni and teacher leaders with the Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP), housed at Catalyst at Penn GSE, will be featured on the opening panel at the Civic Learning Week National Forum, hosted in Philadelphia on March 9, 2026.

Dr. Sharon M. Ravitch and Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy delve into key insights from their new book on topics like adaptability, artificial intelligence, resilience, emotional intelligence in virtual teams, and designing for dissent.

On Inside Higher Ed’s The Key podcast, Robert Zemsky says that three-year bachelor’s degrees could help colleges respond to declining student demand by offering a more efficient model.

Rashelle Johnson, a dual degree candidate at Penn GSE and SP2, spent the year working for organizers and shares her perspective on the annual event.

Sharon Wolf says the world has failed to meet its promise to eliminate child labour by 2025, with research suggesting that hundreds of millions of children remain in work globally, underscoring the need for stronger enforcement, social protection, and investment in education.

Robert Zemsky says that momentum behind three-year bachelor’s degrees is growing as more states and colleges explore accelerated degree options to lower costs, improve affordability, and help students enter the workforce sooner, reflecting broader shifts in higher education models.

A group of Penn GSE alumni recently launched the China EdTech Leadership Network to connect alumni educators, entrepreneurs, and innovators across borders.

In The Boston Globe, Robert Zemsky says that Massachusetts’ move to allow colleges to propose three-year bachelor’s programs reflects a broader shift in higher education toward more affordable and efficient degree options that help students enter the workforce sooner while reducing the overall cost of earning a degree.

With this new support from Penn GSE’s School and Mental Health Counseling program, she is transforming adult learners’ lives and charting a path toward becoming a Philadelphia school counselor.

On CBS News Philadelphia, alumna Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova and her nonprofit, A Book a Day, were featured for their work helping West Philadelphia children better understand their world through access to books and literacy programming.

In The Hechinger Report, Julie Wollman says that proposed federal funding cuts and changes in financial aid could make college even less affordable for low-income families by reducing support programs and shrinking the amount of aid available, potentially lowering enrollment and limiting access to higher education for students with the greatest need.

Betsy Rymes discusses how language shapes our understanding of the world and why it can never be neutral, exploring the powerful role language plays in culture, identity, and education.

Now that student-athletes are eligible for direct payments from some schools, as well as lucrative endorsement deals, is the age of the amateur over? How will colleges and universities navigate this new normal and the inequalities inherent in this revenue-sharing era?

Sigal Ben-Porath discusses the critical role of higher education in defending free speech and fostering democratic engagement, arguing that colleges must model open dialogue and civic responsibility if they are to prepare students to sustain democratic norms in an era of polarization.

In Chalkbeat, Laura Perna says that even though some students in Kensington see open-air drug use every day, strong school support systems and targeted interventions are helping them graduate from high school, highlighting how focused resources can make a difference in students’ educational journeys.

This new program, led by Digital Promise, will fund the development of openly shared datasets, models, and other digital resources so developers, school districts, and educators can build safe, effective, and equitable AI tools for K–12 teaching and learning.

Dr. Jess Jones explores her research on psychological safety in B2B sales and how “small L leadership” can foster trust and cooperation across professional relationships.

Richard Ingersoll says that with a school district unanimously approving a four-day week beginning in August 2026 as part of a broader trend in U.S. schools, the move highlights growing efforts to address rising teacher turnover and burnout by offering schedule flexibility and professional development time on the fifth day, even as research on its impact remains mixed.

The editorial director at Scholastic, Inc. gives us a tour of her Nashville home office and explains how her time as a classroom teacher influenced the two imprints for young readers that she started.

Annie Yang and Sora Cha developed an AI-powered platform for families of autistic children that earned recognition at a recent global hackathon and is now starting pilot testing.

Membership in the NAEd is widely recognized as one of the highest honors in the field of education research, and Dean Strunk joins 10 recent Penn GSE faculty members in being recognized.

He writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer that such lists are an affront to civil liberties and a reminder of dark chapters in history when such inquiries were used to marginalize and persecute Jewish communities.

Ben-Porath co-authored a piece with faculty from Wharton and Penn Carey Law in the Guardian about how such lists have historically been a prelude to persecution and could set a precedent for broader government overreach into personal data and academic freedom.

Charlotte Jacobs, Robert Zemsky, and Jonathan Zimmerman appeared on “The Teacher’s Forum,” “College Knowledge,” and “The Re-Educated Podcast,” respectively, to discuss some of the biggest issues in education.

Alan Ruby says that Chinese universities are climbing global rankings while many U.S. institutions slip, reflecting broader shifts in investment, research capacity, and international engagement that are reshaping the global higher education landscape.

Karen Weaver says that as Pennsylvania schools, including Temple, Villanova, and Penn State, begin directly paying athletes under new revenue-sharing rules following federal class-action settlements, questions are emerging about how institutions will fund payments and whether equity concerns could prompt future legal challenges.

In The Chronicle of Higher Education, Karen Weaver says that colleges are increasingly using bowl-game advertising to highlight institutional impact and public value, leveraging the large sports audience to shift the narrative about higher education beyond athletics to community and research contributions.

The EBPC, considered the most prestigious and well-funded education business plan competition, invites education and edtech innovators from around the globe to apply.

Leland McGee comments on the importance of “‘prev-entry’—preventing marginalized young men from heading down a path towards incarceration, and facilitating healthy re-entry into society as contributors.”

Penn GSE is leading this new era of technological innovation by launching new degree programs, hiring expert faculty, collaborating with school districts on professional development, and conducting vanguard AI-focused research.

Janine Remillard highlights efforts to narrow the gender gap in STEM education, noting that teachers are encouraged to engage more female students in STEM through hands-on activities, practical lessons, and extracurricular programs to boost confidence and support long-term participation in science and math fields.

Karen Weaver says that the rise of the transfer portal is reshaping college sports as athletes like Luke Baklenko make strategic decisions about their careers, weighing playing opportunities, development, and long-term goals.

Eight Penn GSE faculty feature prominently in the rankings—including at Number 1—celebrating the most influential education researchers in the nation.

In USA Today, Michael Gottfried says that student homelessness has become a nationwide crisis impacting more than one million students, with far-reaching consequences for learning, academic progress, and long-term student success.

In WHYY-AM, Jen McLaughlin Cahill reflects on the enduring impact of A Wrinkle in Time, showing how the beloved novel—and the Arden Theatre’s stage adaptation—serves as both a mirror and a window for young audiences by inviting them into imaginative worlds and fostering empathy through storytelling.

Karen Weaver says that with up to 25 Michigan football players considering opting out of their bowl game and the transfer portal looming, athletes are acting like rational economic agents, weighing their human capital and future earning potential amid shifting market dynamics in college sports.

Penn GSE’s Early Childhood Education and Family Studies Certificate blends research, practice, and community partnerships to prepare leaders who want to influence systems that support young children and their families.

The Penn GSE stories from this year that got the most attention from readers like you!

Student-athletes are cashing in on their name, image, and likeness like never before—creating ripple effects across campuses nationwide. At Penn GSE’s recent Homecoming panel, alumni experts unpacked this billion-dollar shift.

In Education Next, Richard Ingersoll says that contrary to popular belief, national data show teacher turnover has remained relatively low and stable over time, with the rate of educators leaving the profession comparable to that of other well-educated professionals, suggesting the narrative that teachers are abandoning the field in droves doesn’t match the evidence.

Following years of research in Philadelphia schools, Penn GSE’s Responsive Math Teaching team is sharing the practical tools and guiding principles they identified in a new book to help educators make math more meaningful.

Digital literacies expert Amy Stornaiuolo provides a framework to help teachers design writing assignments that ethically incorporate—or creatively dissuade—use of generative AI.

Learning Sciences and Technologies master’s student Ashley Zingillioglu won the Daniel Walden Prize for an interactive social story she first developed as an undergraduate and is now continuing to refine at Penn GSE.

Estefanie Aguilar Padilla’s work with Associate Professor Rachel Baker reveals why students walk away—and how colleges can help them stay.

In City & State PA, Michael Golden says that teachers and students must work to demystify common misconceptions about AI, emphasizing the importance of understanding both the risks and the powerful educational opportunities the technology presents.

In The New Jersey Herald, Matt Hartley says that smaller universities routinely undergo structural reorganizations and that Montclair State’s centralization will likely lead to the creation of new administrative roles to guide decision-making.

The Institute is funded by an Institutional Impact grant from the Educating Character Initiative, awarded by Wake Forest University’s Program for Leadership and Character and made possible through the generous support of the Lilly Endowment Inc.

In Memecita, Karen Weaver says that the NIL landscape is rapidly maturing, with collectives becoming more sophisticated, athletes gaining a clearer understanding of their market value, and colleges developing policies to support responsible NIL activity.

In the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Robert Zemsky says that the three-year college model offers a more efficient alternative to traditional four-year programs, reducing academic waste by at least a quarter while maintaining educational quality.

The newly endowed faculty chair, made possible through a generous gift from Andrea Pollack, C’83, L’87, GED’17, and Adam Usdan, will support innovative research, teaching, and leadership in the field of special education.