Penn GSE announces 10th Visiting Scholars of Color lecture series

Each year, Penn GSE welcomes leading thinkers and researchers from across the country for its Visiting Scholars of Color lecture series.  

For its tenth anniversary this spring, the series will feature discussions on the relationship between universities and slavery, support for teachers of color in K-12 schools, the racial politics of public education, and using digital technologies to create more equitable learning opportunities.  

“I’m so excited to welcome these four scholars to the Penn GSE community,” said Penn GSE Dean Pam Grossman. “This year’s lineup continues our tradition of highlighting both established voices and rising academic stars. I know they will inspire all of us to look at educational issues from new perspectives, and I’m particularly pleased that our students will have a chance to interact informally with such accomplished researchers.”

Travis Bristol, an assistant professor at Boston University who studies the experiences of teachers of color, will be at Penn GSE February 14. Among other things, Bristol’s work has furthered research by Penn GSE’s Richard Ingersoll on the teaching profession. 

Janelle Scott, an associate professor at the University of California-Berkeley who explores the relationship between education, policy, and equality of opportunity, will speak March 14.  

Robbin Chapman, the associate provost and academic director of diversity and inclusion at Wellesley College, will close out the series April 11. 

The vising scholars are not just at Penn GSE to lecture, said Jessie Harper, Penn GSE’s Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs and Diversity. They also meet with students to talk candidly about succeeding as a person of color in the academy. Many students have found this advice invaluable.  

The series is just one of the Penn GSE’s efforts to promote greater diversity and equity in the school and in the field of education, Harper said.