Penn GSE News
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September 19, 2023
Penn GSE student Meresa García sits outside on cement steps in front of a brick wall on the University of Pennsylvania campus wearing a tan t-shirt and blue jeans, smiling at the camera

UTAP student Meresa García shares her passion for literacy and community work with Penn Libraries in “Penn Today”

Meresa García, an Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program student at Penn GSE, has embarked on a mission to promote literacy and education in Philadelphia. Her journey into advocacy was ignited by her lifelong love for books and her realization of the challenges facing public school students in the city.

Philadelphia Impact
Language, Literacy & Culture
Penn GSE News
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September 15, 2023
Four women sit in upholstered chairs on a black stage, a backdrop set piece behind them of walls painted blue with white clouds and greenery in the shape of an “O” around the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls logo. From left to right are the panel moderator in a green shawl, Charlotte Jacobs in a gray shirt with a black shawl, a participant in a green satin button-down shirt, and a participant in a light blue dress, discussing trauma-informed practice in education.

Charlotte Jacobs discusses trauma-informed practice in education at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls conference in South Africa

Jacobs was part of a panel discussion on the practice, which aims to arm students with coping skills and awareness to navigate their trauma in school and educational settings successfully.

Counseling & Psychology
Teaching & Learning
Katharine O. Strunk, Penn GSE
Penn GSE News
 | 
September 8, 2023

Dean Katharine Strunk highlights pandemic's impact on math education in “AP News”

Amid the aftermath of pandemic-induced disruptions, college students are grappling with significant challenges in mastering basic math skills, a consequence of the shift to remote schooling. These setbacks have left a particularly pronounced impact on vulnerable student groups, says Dean Strunk.

Teaching & Learning
Special Topic: COVID-19
Ross Aikins, Penn GSE
In the Media
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September 7, 2023
, Inside Higher Ed

What students said about the Spring of ChatGPT

Ross Aikins reports findings to Inside Higher Ed from interviews with dozens of students about how they used AI tools in their studies over the spring and summer. Going into fall, he says, faculty will need to revisit their policies early and often.

Robert M. Zemsky, Penn GSE
Penn GSE News
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August 30, 2023

Robert Zemsky shares recent successes of “College in 3” project in “The Hechinger Report” and “USA Today”

The project's first 3-year degree pilot recently launched at the University of Minnesota Rochester, one of more than a dozen colleges and universities planning similar programs with the project. The idea of a 3-year bachelor’s degree is on track to become ubiquitous, Zemsky says.

Higher Education
Penn GSE News
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August 23, 2023
Mark Ziegler-Thayer smiles at the camera wearing a white blazer over a gray sweater, standing in front of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C. The words “U.S. Department of Education” are mounted on the face of the building in large metal letters above Mark’s head.

Alum burnishes skills as a presidential fellow at U.S. Department of Education

Mark Ziegler-Thayer started out as a part-time kindergarten teacher’s assistant. The experience changed their life. Two master’s degrees later, they are now working to effect change at the national level in a prestigious, two-year Presidential Management Fellows program, where they hope to increase access to high-quality and equitable education for all students.

Penn GSE News
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August 21, 2023
A young woman, a member of a classroom instruction team wearing a red-and-white striped shirt and holding a tin cup in her left hand with her right thumb up, sits on the left across a table from three students paying close attention to her instruction. The leftmost student sits in the center of the frame resting her elbows on the table, hands propping up her head, smiling at the camera with bright multicolored flower-shaped beads in her hair.

A new high-touch, low-tech approach to summer learning is increasing student engagement in West Philadelphia

The Netter Center and Penn GSE are testing out a new approach based on feedback from teachers, families, and students. The 6-week pilot replaces traditional course blocks with round-robin stations and eschews technology, with each classroom led by a team of five educators.

Philadelphia Impact
Teaching & Learning
Damani White-Lewis, Penn GSE
Penn GSE News
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August 18, 2023

Damani White-Lewis shares insights into postdoctoral hiring inequities

Damani White-Lewis told Science last week that a recent study finding many researchers of color are at a disadvantage in the postdoctoral hiring process is both “very important” and “very needed.” He proposed addressing the issue by increasing network connections across universities to create “strong bonds” for minorities.

Race, Equity & Inclusion
Penn GSE News
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August 14, 2023
Penn GSE Senior Fellow Kandi Wiens stands wearing a gray blazer in front of a group of seated school district leaders from around the Philadelphia region delivering a presentation on burnout in a wood-paneled room with a screen showing a slide behind her at a Center for School Study Councils meeting

Center for School Study Councils expands to West Coast to support more K–12 leaders

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.

Leadership
Penn GSE News
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August 11, 2023
The six women in the inaugural cohort of Jacobs Fellows stand, smiling, in a classroom in front of a Penn GSE banner.

First year of Jacobs Fellowship inspired, funded six Penn GSE educational entrepreneurs

Six master’s candidates received funding from the Jacobs Foundation for their social impact ventures this year. Applications are being accepted for the next cohort until Sept. 15.

Global Initiatives
Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Damani White-Lewis, Penn GSE
In the Media
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August 10, 2023
, Science

Among U.S. postdoc applicants, researchers of color often fare worst

Damani White-Lewis shares insights into postdoctoral hiring inequities.

Penn GSE News
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August 9, 2023

Celebration of Writing and Literacy seeks proposals on safe spaces for October conference

Organizers are seeking presentations of original curriculum, research, or pedagogy related to re-establishing school and classroom communities as authentic, positive, and nurturing spaces. Submissions are due Aug. 18.

Philadelphia Impact
Language, Literacy & Culture
Teaching & Learning
Penn GSE News
 | 
August 7, 2023
University faculty and leadership wearing commencement regalia including hoods in many colors stand in a row with their backs to the camera

School presidents report they need more training around nonacademic duties, like overseeing their collegiate athletic programs

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.

Higher Education
Leadership
Penn GSE News
 | 
August 4, 2023

Sigal Ben-Porath and Susan Yoon receive inaugural Presidential Professorships

Penn GSE Professor Sigal Ben-Porath has been named the MRMJJ Presidential Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs Susan Yoon has been named the Graduate School of Education Presidential Professor. Both are the first to hold their respective chairs, which begin with the 2023–2024 academic year.

Rand Quinn, Penn GSE
Penn GSE News
 | 
July 31, 2023

Rand Quinn named faculty director of Civic House

Penn GSE Associate Professor Rand Quinn has been appointed faculty director of Civic House and the Civic Scholars Program. He begins in the role Aug. 1.

Jonathan Zimmerman, Penn GSE
In the Media
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July 26, 2023
, The Philadelphia Inquirer

The best DEI program: better college teaching

In the wake of the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action, Jonathan Zimmerman writes that what will really make a difference for Black and brown students is improved classroom instruction.

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