On a Saturday in March at Penn, about 20 math educators from the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) were watching a video of an Algebra 1 teacher encouraging his ninth graders to “think like mathematicians” and make connections between graphs and chunks of equations—part of a lesson on equivalent quadratic functions.
“Pay attention to what the teacher is doing to launch the routine to set students up for thinking,” urged Graduate School of Education (GSE) senior lecturer Caroline B. Ebby, who led the session. Elsewhere, other members of the Algebra 1 Fellowship, an 85-person cohort launched in May 2025 with the district, discovered additional strategies to engage students in algebra using the school system’s newly adopted K–12 Illustrative Math (IM) curriculum.
The Algebra 1 Fellowship is one of numerous partnerships between Penn GSE and SDP. Some, like GSE’s ongoing relationship with nearby Henry C. Lea Elementary School, span decades. Another—a ground-up collaboration between Penn, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and the district—is the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership School, a National Blue Ribbon winner and one of the highest-performing public schools in the city. Others involve faculty research across communities or district-level ventures that bring together multiple players. In addition, graduate students regularly interact with schools to complete practicum hours, conduct thesis studies, or tutor students.
During the last school year, Penn GSE had 343 ongoing activities running in 166 of the city’s public, charter, and private schools and in 63 community sites, such as libraries, community centers, and mental health organizations, according to GSE’s Office of School and Community Engagement (OSCE), which tracks the School’s engagement across Philadelphia.
Besides the Algebra I Fellowship, the relationship has led to initiatives that tackle artificial intelligence, conflict resolution, and college- and career-readiness.
“We are working towards greater coherence and strategic support in our ongoing work with the school district,” says Katharine Strunk, dean of Penn GSE. “This kind of co-constructed, partnership-driven work is based on a deep and growing trust between SDP and GSE, one that truly allows us to understand and expand on the tremendous assets the district brings to the conversation.”
That starts with what she identified as “a great deal of synergy,” between strategic plans—the district’s Accelerate Philly and GSE’s Together for Good, the first in more than two decades and one that prioritizes collaboration. Dean Strunk argues that this urban district/higher-ed teamwork can serve as a national model to support learners and educators.
“We believe that educators, leaders, students, and families in the district know what they need,” she said. “We have a responsibility to do whatever we can to help them meet those needs.”
SDP Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr. said “the power of partnerships” is critical in propelling the school system toward its goal of becoming the fastest-improving, large, urban district in the nation. “We have put our foot on the gas,” he said. “We intend to accelerate.”
Read the full article—including details of partnership programs including the Academy at Penn, the Algebra I Fellowship, the PASS Program, OSCE's tutoring program and more—in the spring/summer issue of Penn GSE Magazine.
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