The Penn GSE Magazine

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Anybody who knows me knows how deeply I care about teachers, which is why I’m thrilled that this issue’s cover story features Penn GSE’s teacher education programs and the inspiring people who teach in and lead them. The story underscores the myriad rewards of the profession, while painting an honest picture of the challenges confronting teachers.

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There’s no question that the next generation of teachers will face stiff headwind. The long-term effects of COVID-19 will hit education especially hard, with far too many students struggling academically and emotionally. In many states, teacher pay is not competitive with other professional salaries. And the teaching shortfall, which has been building for the past decade, is putting an extra burden on those who’ve chosen to remain in the classroom. Teaching and supporting students has always been complex work, and these issues are only going to make finding and preparing high- quality teachers more challenging.

Despite these obstacles, I remain optimistic about the future of teaching. I am heartened by the thoughtful and innovative work being done at Penn GSE every day to prepare and support teachers to help young people achieve their full potential. The wellspring of my optimism, though, is a core belief that I share with many readers of this magazine: Few careers have the potential to be as intellectually challenging and emotionally rewarding—or to have as much impact on society—as teaching. 

For more teachers to reap these rewards, we as a society must rethink how we treat our children’s educators. This reimagining must include thinking deeply about teachers’ salaries, their working conditions, and how we view them as professionals. Just as importantly, we need to do a better job of educating policy makers and the general public on what teachers do, so they can fully appreciate the complexity of teaching.

In many sectors of our society, the pandemic encouraged us to rethink the nature of work. In healthcare, telemedicine gained traction, as we learned that providing virtual visits opened access for many patients. How can we use this current moment and the growing teaching shortages to think more expansively about the work of teachers? How do we portray teaching as the intellectually demanding and professionally rewarding work that it is? How do we reimagine how adults work with students in schools to provide more time for teachers to work together? How do we encourage the promising young people in our lives to look to teaching as a worthwhile career? And how do we ensure that those entering teaching are valued, able to earn competitive salaries, and work in professional and stimulating environments?

There’s no easy answer here. But it’s clear that reimagining teaching requires all of us—educators, parents, policy makers, and leaders from all sectors—to be bold in our thinking. At Penn GSE, we’ve been doing our part to bring more high-quality teachers into the profession by growing our teacher education programs, offering more scholarships, and investing in research on teacher learning. You’ll read about some of these efforts, and the work of our dedicated students and alumni, in this issue. I hope their stories will inspire you to find your own way to support the teachers in your community. Because educators—and the students they serve—deserve better.

With deep appreciation for all educators,

Pam Grossman
Dean, Penn Graduate School of Education
George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education

Editor’s note: This issue of The Penn GSE Magazine went to print on December 16, 2022.

Keeping Students Present

Penn GSE Professor of Education Policy Michael A. Gottfried was part of a team that recently compiled an evidence brief providing strategies for addressing absenteeism. Gottfried shares four approaches for parents and caregivers, teachers, and schools.