News

Look back with us at some of the stories that defined 2023 for our community.

Michael Johanek brought together 20 leaders from around the world to examine the challenges of real-world judgment. 

Nominations are now open for the 2024 McGraw Prize in Education.

In addition to a chaired professorship in her name and a fellowship she helped establish, Clayton leaves behind a legacy of quality education for students from all backgrounds.

Winners Debra Duardo, David Wilson, and Barbara Oakley have transformed learning across all age groups.

In an Op-Ed, Karen Weaver discusses many of the issues college presidents have been facing lately, particularly around their sports programs, and Penn GSE’s efforts to address the gap in the education and training of current college presidents.

Three southern California school districts joined the program in 2022–23 as K–12 leaders navigate unprecedented external pressure. Founded in 1943 and until now concentrated in the Northeast, the Center helps superintendents and leaders work collaboratively to identify professional challenges, share best practices, and provide development opportunities.

The latest survey of college presidents by the American Council on Education shows that higher ed leaders want help with athletics, communications, and school finances. That’s where Penn GSE comes in.

The event launching Penn GSE’s McGraw Center for Educational Leadership set the tone for the Center’s future: gathering great educational minds from across the School along with outside experts to tackle the big issues facing education today.

The jobs of educators are among the most difficult to automate, Dr. James Lester said in a keynote celebrating the launch of the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership, but artificial intelligence (AI) still has massive potential to transform classrooms.

Peter Eckel calls for college leaders to rethink strategic planning to ensure their institution thrives in the face of the pandemic and technological changes.

Now in its eighth year, the March 16 event is organized by the Dean’s office. The keynote speaker is Tamara Greenfield King, Penn’s interim vice provost for University Life.

The annual event draws educators from around the country for a 3-day conference focused on equitable outcomes. Program alum Lawrence P. Ward and Dean Pam Grossman also received awards for their leadership.

Readers came to the Penn GSE website for practical, easy-to-apply advice that resonated in classrooms and communities around the world.

Eight University of Pennsylvania-affiliated researchers are ranked in the top 200 nationwide – and all eight are associated with Penn GSE.

After nearly two years of COVID-19-related crises, superintendents are concerned about burnout for themselves and the educators, staff, students and parents they serve. Penn GSE’s Kandi Wiens presented coping mechanisms from her research studying leaders in other high-stress jobs.

At an event honoring the 2022 winners of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education in New York City in November, Penn GSE announced the largest gift in the School’s history—a $16.25 million commitment from the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation, which will create a new center for educational leadership and continue its annual prize.

Updates on a presidential visit, the new Penn GSE building expansion, and more.

Raghu Krishnamoorthy, Ed.D., was named director of the Graduate School of Education’s Penn Chief Learning Officer (CLO) doctoral program in June 2022. He graduated the month before from the same CLO training program.

College sports are an integral part of the university experience. They help with recruiting and retention — and they help the bottom line. Penn GSE’s Karen Weaver teaches one of the country's only courses to prepare university presidents to manage the related complexities.

Dr. Logan's innovative leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic enabled Omaha Public Schools to be one of the first large, urban school districts in the nation to return to in-person learning in 2020.

Dr. Dunn is president of South Dakota State University, where he has worked to significantly increase programming and support for students from South Dakota’s nine tribal nations.

#PennGSEExperts Pam Grossman and Richard M. Ingersoll were interviewed for a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article about the looming crisis. Between 30 and 50 percent of new teachers now leave the profession after their first five years.

New faculty member and former superintendent Dr. Andrea Kane shares her expertise in instructional leadership, access and equity, and more, as she brings her perspective from twenty-five years in public schools to Penn GSE.

Three stories of support underline how giving to Penn GSE is opening doors and bringing hope and opportunity to a new era.

At a time of incredible flux, Penn GSE’s innovative leadership programs are helping create better school environments, amplifying the impact of K-12 leaders, shaping the future of higher education, and producing scholar-practitioners for the workplace.

Four Penn GSE alumni representing varied sectors of education share innovative ways they are helping prepare the workers of the future.

Responding to the emerging needs of educators and leaders, Penn GSE’s Center for Professional Learning cultivates learning and connections that endure.

A powerful, lively, and heartfelt panel took over the second floor of Houston Hall this past week as part of the seventh annual Women of Color in Higher Education Summit

Designed to level the playing field and create a more diverse pool of leaders for Philadelphia schools, the Pathway to Leadership Program will see its first students this summer.

The meeting featured high-level findings from four research studies and a thorough discussion of Penn GSE’s educational framework for practice-based learning.

Penn GSE’s Andrea Kane spoke at a recent panel discussion about the importance of retaining and supporting educational leaders of color.

One of many virtual offerings of Penn GSE’s Center for Professional Learning, the Strategic Leadership Certificate program is helping educators strengthen their effectiveness and deepen their impact.

As 2022 gets rolling, let's take one last look back at our top stories of 2021.

Andrea Kane, who joined Penn GSE this year as a Professor of Practice in Educational Leadership, was recently profiled for The New York Times.

Annie McKee recommended people consider their motivations and needs before quitting a job. “So, it’s really not a question of, ‘Can you be happy when you quit your job?’ You definitely can,” she said. “Rather it’s more of a question of: What are you leaving? What do you no longer want in your work life? And more importantly, what do you want?”

In a new book, Penn GSE Dean Pam Grossman and GSE’s Zachary Herrmann, Sarah Schneider Kavanagh, and Christopher Pupik Dean say the approach can empower students to be engaged citizens and take on modern challenges.

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.

Christina Grant is a 2021 graduate of Penn GSE’s Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership.

Annie McKee offered tips for adjusting to the return to in-person work, such as reconnecting with coworkers. “We've all changed as a result of the pandemic,” she said. “Get to know people again and give yourself the permission to … care about each other.”

Thirteen inaugural members are working to help Penn GSE create spaces for graduates to have meaningful engagement leading to continued professional growth.

Writing in MIT’s Sloan Management Review, Adam Payne, an alum of Penn GSE’s Chief Learning Officer program, and Dana Kaminstein, an adjunct assistant professor at Penn GSE, point to ways that companies dodge diversity and how they can go beyond diversity initiatives to create meaningful change.

Deans Pam Grossman and Erika James argue that to be prepared leaders need to consider the necessary crisis leadership practices that should occur before, during, and after a crisis happens.

There is no universal answer. But Penn GSE’s Karen Weaver says the colleges facing the toughest choices might not be the ones you’d think.

Writing in Harvard Business Review, Kandi Wiens says it’s important to watch out for self-sabotage traps

Jonathan Supovitz explains, “The principals are doing all these amazing things, which are serving urgent needs of kids and families. That’s not taken into account in what we think of as a good school. There is an imbalance between our metrics for assessing quality and the actual role of schools in society.” The Consortium for Policy Research in Education, housed at Penn GSE, has published five briefs about how U.S. school districts and principals have dealt with the pandemic.

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.

‘We applaud teachers everywhere who share the common bond of inspiring others to learn and to grow,’ said Penn President Amy Gutmann.