Our Commitment to Building Community

At Penn GSE, we strive to create a community of people who bring a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. Bringing together individuals with varied viewpoints encourages the examination of issues from multiple angles, leading to more effective and innovative solutions to pressing challenges. It also strengthens civic engagement by fostering critical thinking and encouraging dialogue across differences. This creates richer learning environments that empower individuals to contribute meaningfully to our community and the broader society.

We aim to create the conditions for individuals to fully participate in learning and growth. We recognize that different circumstances shape access to opportunities, and we strive to ensure that every member of our community has the tools and support to thrive. Our efforts focus on cultivating an environment where all individuals can develop their skills, contribute meaningfully, and access the resources they need to reach their full potential.

We cultivate environments where all members of our community can meaningfully contribute their voices, perspectives, and talents to our shared academic mission. We recognize that being present is not the same as being engaged, and we actively foster spaces where individuals can fully participate in learning, teaching, and research. Through this commitment, we prepare leaders who understand how to create and sustain environments where dialogue and collaboration drive excellence.

We foster an environment where every member of our community experiences a deep sense of belonging, connection and purpose. We recognize that a strong academic community is built on active efforts to ensure that individuals feel valued, heard, and empowered to bring their full selves to their academic journey. By integrating different perspectives, approaches, and lived experiences into our institutional fabric, we enrich academic discourse and strengthen our collective pursuit of excellence.

Empirical Foundation

As an inherently interdisciplinary school comprising inherently interdisciplinary fields, the ideas that form the foundation of the Penn GSE community are based on extensive scholarly evidence, including from our own faculty. Research consistently shows that being exposed to unfamiliar perspectives forces individuals into a state of “cognitive disequilibrium”— a condition where established ways of thinking are challenged. Psychological research has demonstrated that in moments of uncertainty, individuals must seek new data and perspectives to make sense of their experiences, leading to cognitive expansion. We practice this daily at Penn GSE, enhancing critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. When people are surrounded by those who think differently, they are forced to refine their arguments, engage with new methodologies, and push beyond intellectual complacency. A rich plurality of thought, disciplines, and lived experiences strengthens the quality of evidence in research and leads to more innovative, actionable solutions in policy and practice.

Empirical studies further affirm that these differences are directly linked to increased civic engagement, intellectual adaptability, and academic rigor. Research shows that when individuals interact with those who hold different perspectives, they become more reflective, less reliant on ingrained assumptions, and more skilled at engaging in complex problem-solving. By actively seeking out and valuing different perspectives, research communities and institutions can ensure that their work remains rigorous, relevant, and capable of addressing society’s most pressing issues.

Initiatives

We advance our commitment to belonging and respectful dialogue through many Penn GSE initiatives for faculty, staff, and students. These include:

• One Book, One GSE brings students, faculty, and staff together through a shared reading experience, sparking conversations about complex issues and offering a common intellectual foundation for discussion. This year’s selection, Try to Love the Questions: From Debate to Dialogue in Classrooms and Life, sets the stage for a deeper exploration of how inquiry can bridge divides.
• The Visiting Scholars Speaker Series, now in its 17th year, invites leading voices in education, policy, and research to share their insights and challenge us to think in new ways. Recent speakers have explored topics ranging from responsible communication to the role of grace and forgiveness in deliberation, helping us engage with challenging ideas in a constructive and thoughtful manner.
• We also facilitate Community Circles, which provide structured yet informal spaces for students, staff, and faculty to reflect on pressing issues, exchange perspectives, and learn from one another in a supportive environment. These conversations help strengthen the sense of belonging and intellectual engagement that define Penn GSE.

We are committed to sustaining a culture where open dialogue strengthens our academic community and expands our collective impact. Inspired by our founder’s belief in education as a force for societal improvement, we embrace the hard work of learning together, knowing that through rigorous scholarship, excellent teaching, open exchange, and shared purpose, we can shape a future for education that uplifts us all.