Philadelphia Impact

Penn GSE is deeply committed to the City of Philadelphia through both research and practice. Our students, faculty, and staff are involved in hundreds of initiatives throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area, ranging from high-quality after-school programs to research that sparks national conversations to the development of an acclaimed public school partnership with the School District of Philadelphia.

A student teacher draws with a young child in a summer enrichment program

Penn GSE in Philadelphia

The Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn GSE) has partnered with the School District of Philadelphia and other city schools for decades to improve the academic achievement and life outcomes of Philadelphia children and youth. But our work extends beyond school, into a wide variety of community organizations across the city.

Our searchable Penn GSE in Philadelphia map offers a snapshot of the many ways that Penn GSE students, alumni, faculty, and staff are answering the call to action and service.

Media Inquiries

Kat Stein
Executive Director of Penn GSE Communications
(215) 898-9642
katstein@upenn.edu 

Featured Research

West Philadelphia Collaborative History

West Philadelphia Collaborative History is a website with resources on the history of 20th- and 21st-century West Philadelphia, along with a series of programs to encourage community collaboration and to support educators seeking to use local history in the classroom.

Collaboratory for Teacher Education

The Collaboratory for Teacher Education at Penn GSE is a laboratory for the design, implementation, and study of experimental approaches to teacher education.

Penn Early Childhood and Family Research Center

The Penn Early Childhood and Family Research Center aims to advance the use of science in a context of public trust to address problems affecting the well-being of young children and families facing systemic injustice and disadvantage.

Penn Futures Project

The Penn Futures Project is an ambitious and unprecedented initiative by the Graduate School of Education, the School of Nursing, and the School of Social Policy & Practice to collaboratively address pressing social issues that affect Philadelphia’s most vulnerable young people and their families.

The Penn Project for Civic Engagement

The Penn Project for Civic Engagement is a cross-University project that collaborates with media, business and community agencies to identify and address projects on emerging issues. It links citizen concerns to expert knowledge and media coverage, to develop real-world solutions that might not emerge otherwise.

PEDAL: Practical English for Daily Living

PEDAL: Practical English for Daily Living offers free English as a Second Language classes taught by students in the M.S.Ed. TESOL program. It provides courses for family members of staff, students, professors, scholars, and post-docs at Penn, as well as Community courses for West Philadelphians.

See all Penn GSE Research >