"I came to see how my research and my work here converged," says Philadelphia principal Cristina Alvarez.

"I realized that what I was studying was deeply applicable to what I was doing."

Alvarez had come into the Mid-Career program asking hard questions about leadership and reform. Why do certain innovative models, certain schools take off? What do the leaders in those schools do to create success?

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At Shaw Middle School in West Philadelphia, "summer" doesn't necessarily mean "vacation."

For six weeks each summer, the school hosts a Philadelphia Freedom School, a program designed to empower and teach local youth.

The Philadelphia program was brought to Shaw by Penn; GSE doctoral students coordinate the program, with support and assistance from GSE professors.

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GSE Researchers Bring Technology-Based Learning to Nicaragua

Otto de Montenegro's mother gave him a good talking to about education. "The second you lose your right to a pen and pencil," she said, "they're going to put a machete in your hand for the rest of your life."

Fortunately, Otto has a chance to keep going to school — and to be part of a new program there.

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Choosing the right high school can be a daunting task.

GSE doctoral candidate Clarisse Haxton examined data from about 12,000 Philadelphia students to figure out how students decide which schools to apply to. This decision can make all the difference to Philadelphia's students for, as Haxton observes, "where they go to school influences their learning opportunities."

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In June, a group of nervous young entrepreneurs gathered on the Penn campus to present their innovative ideas to a panel of industry leaders and venture capitalists.

Finalists in a business plan competition, the group waited nervously for the judges’ verdict. At stake was a handsome purse that would help the winners launch their ventures.

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