News

Three distinguished Penn GSE alumni shared their perspectives on finding strength in the face of adversity, supporting mental health, and rallying to improve social justice.

Penn GSE’s Caroline Watts shares what educators can do to take care of themselves with less time to recharge this summer.

Penn GSE’s dean and peers from the Learning Policy Institute advocate for accelerating systems change in the wake of the pandemic.

Dean Pam Grossman said technology has yet to significantly disrupt education or replace the need for teachers. “Teaching and learning are fundamentally relational processes, and without the relationship, it’s hard to engage learners, particularly those that aren’t motivated,” she said.

The largest fundraising effort in Penn GSE’s history is helping the School realize its five priorities and provide learners with the foundation for lifelong opportunity.

Go vote for teams led by Caroline Ebby and Yasmin Kafai in the Public Choice competition.

‘To have young people who are taking center stage in the realms that other young people are really sort of using to explore their identity is crucial,’ Ed Brockenbrough recently told USA Today.

Ryan Baker is quoted on how the pandemic has necessitated innovation in remote learning, noting that, “There’s been a move to using high-quality interactive online learning environments.”

Techniques and games from theater can be fun tools for building classroom engagement and tackling content in new ways.

Pam Grossman proposes rethinking schooling to give students more time to learn. “Let’s use the pandemic to rethink how we expand and enrich learning time for children, especially those most impacted by COVID-19-related disruption.”

From teaching to research, doctoral candidate OreOluwa Badaki takes an intergenerational, interdisciplinary approach to environmental justice.

Writing in ASCD Express, Zachary Herrmann and Dean Pam Grossman define some of the challenges facing teacher professional development and how we might address them.

Yasmin Kafai and professors across several departments at Utah State University have partnered to create an imaginary virus, allowing students to virtually explore many aspects of living in a pandemic. Children can play in this risk-free environment with more control than they often have in the real world.

Whether tutoring your child yourself or hiring someone to help, Anne Pomerantz explains what makes tutoring effective.

Sigal Ben-Porath describes, “It was a very disturbing and significant moment in American history, so most students will be needing a place to consider it outside their families, and they don't have peer groups right now for the most part because of the pandemic.”

Sigal Ben-Porath, an expert in civic education, says teachers need to be prepared for these important conversations.

Setting goals for learning a language can help you determine which tools will be most useful to you, says Dr. Anne Pomerantz, an expert in the teaching and learning of new languages at Penn GSE.

Amid a global pandemic and perhaps the largest civil rights movement in U.S. history, Penn GSE is embracing the shift to virtual education, providing resources to educators and leaders in the field at large, and addressing issues of race, equity, and access throughout the School’s work.

CodeQuilt Philadelphia, part of CS4Philly Week, gives students a voice in saying who codes and why they do it.

Penn GSE’s Homecoming @ Home honored five outstanding graduates and featured Laura Bilodeau Overdeck, WG’95, founder and president of Bedtime Math, a nonprofit that works to help kids love math.

Jennifer Stimpson, a chemist, teacher, and recent alumna of the Graduate School of Education’s mid-career program, was named an IF/THEN ambassador. The initiative aims to empower women in STEM to inspire the next generation of learners.

After a contentious election, educators need a plan for discussing the results—especially if they aren’t clear.

The largest fundraising campaign in Penn GSE’s history, Extraordinary Impact supports faculty, staff, and students as they create opportunity through education.

“Even if you don’t like your job, if there aren’t other options out there, you’re going to be loath to leave. There aren’t a lot of options out there,” said Richard Ingersoll.

Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher and Deepa Iyer argue that 9/11 curricula should include lessons on the Global War on Terror, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism, and community building.

Yasmin Kafai is piloting a middle school curriculum on epidemics that will debut with a virtual epidemic being launched in the online community Whyville.

Effective teams have the same characteristics that teachers are striving toward: a strong sense of connection, support, purpose, and accountability.

Steve Piltch said private school enrollment has declined during the last decade. “Whatever the classes were there to begin with, they were smaller than most of the public schools are,” he said.

Abby Reisman says historical inquiry gives students a space to think deeply about the past and consider how it connects to and shapes the present.

Penn GSE’s Charlotte Jacobs and Ramona Weber describe what they have learned researching the experience of Black girls in independent schools. 

Ryan Baker led a team that analyzed the results of a survey about the challenges of remote learning. “School districts’ IT were never prepared for this to happen,” Baker said.

Sharon Ravitch joined a filmmaker and a pediatrician as guest speakers on the Reinventing School podcast in which they explored the many aspects of hope in the midst of challenging times.

Sharon Ravitch joins Angela Duckworth of Penn School of Arts & Sciences in a discussion of leadership, grit, and flexibility.

As the COVID-19 crisis brought dramatic changes to the education landscape this spring, Penn GSE faculty shared their perspectives to help educators and families.

Penn GSE’s new Center for Professional Learning will allow working professionals to deepen their knowledge, build their professional networks, and grow their careers.

Sharon Ravitch joins host Rob van Nood of Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon to discuss the current crisis as an opportunity to rebuild learning experiences based on a world in flux and from ideas and visions that put students at the center. "As educators, we have to find active ways to nourish ourselves, connect with each other, and really think about this moment," said Ravitch.

College instructors have moved their courses online, but Penn GSE's Sharon Ravitch says they need to do more to meet their students' needs during this pandemic. Here, she gives ideas for instructors to consider.

"Teamwork has traditionally played a critical role in schools, and while many of us find ourselves physically isolated, our collaborative work with one another may be more important now than ever," Zachary Herrmann writes.

Penn GSE teacher’s teacher education programs listed among the nation’s best.

We asked online education expert Ryan Baker what school leaders and parents should be thinking about it. His advice: be flexible — and don’t discount library books.

Christine Cunningham, winner of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education, shares ideas for teaching engineering to students of any age.

Writing in Phi Delta Kappan, Penn GSE Dean Pam Grossman makes the case for creating a common language and set of practices to define professional teaching.

Ryan Baker discusses AI technology and some of the shortcomings of existing technologies that are available to teachers.

Sigal Ben-Porath explains that providing historical context and a comfortable environment to discuss weighty topics like impeachment can help students become more civic-minded.

Focusing on actions & 3 more ideas from Sigal-Ben Porath for making political issues teachable moments.

In the latest issue, we look at how families can help kids develop the skills to conquer kindergarten.

Amy Benedict helps educators create a career plan.

Sigal Ben-Porath offers suggestions on how to address the impeachment inquiry and engage students in critical thinking.

Linda Leibowitz gives parents ideas to prepare for going back to school.

By using pronouns thoughtfully, educators can make all students feel welcome and provide support for children who are gender nonconforming.