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Center for School Study Councils

Improving the quality of education in school districts across
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Where Superintendents and Educational Leaders Collaborate to Shape the Future of Public Education

Since its inception in 1943, the Center for School Study Councils (CSSC) has worked to improve the quality of public education across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware by empowering superintendents to lead with vision, collaborate across districts, and address critical challenges through continuous professional learning, strategic action, and access to the resources of the University of Pennsylvania. 

The Center for School Study Councils is part of Catalyst @ Penn GSE, a center connecting people and ideas across diverse constituencies to develop innovative ways to address persistent and emerging problems in education.

Become a Member

Join a vibrant network of superintendents and educational leaders from districts of all sizes across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. As a member of the Center for School Study Councils (CSSC), you’ll gain access to a powerful community committed to learning, collaboration, and leadership.

Our monthly professional development workshops are the heart of the CSSC experience—designed to challenge your thinking, expand your leadership toolkit, and connect you with peers facing similar challenges and opportunities. These sessions are eligible for continuing education credit through the Delaware and Pennsylvania Departments of Education.

Interested in becoming a member? Reach out to our program coordinator to learn more about the membership.

Connect with Us

Why Did You Join CSSC?

The CSSC has supported me in my role for more than a decade. The opportunity to engage in high level, ongoing, and meaningful professional development with my peers from across the tri-state area is a catalyst in my success.

– Joe Meloche, Superintendent, Rose Tree Media School District, Pennsylvania

Why Did You Join CSSC?

– Joe Meloche, Superintendent, Rose Tree Media School District, Pennsylvania

Learning, Speaking Out, and Acting on Important Issues

Participants in the Center for School Study Councils identify key issues affecting public education and engage in the following leadership activities:

Learning

Council members participate in workshops and seminars featuring nationally recognized experts. These workshops and seminars enable members to develop and share their knowledge and expertise. See a list of topics from last year's workshops. 

Speaking Out

As educational leaders, superintendents create the context for public conversation about education. The Center supports members in articulating issues and solutions in their districts and across the region.

Acting Together

The Center for School Study Councils provides a platform through which members develop a support network for collaborative action. This platform includes sharing ideas and successful practices as well as developing new ways to share resources and expertise.

The Center accomplishes this mission through four series of monthly professional development workshops for school superintendents as well as through special projects developed in response to requests from affiliated school districts and Intermediate Units.

Workshops from 2024-2025
TopicPresenter(s)
The Nexus of Cyber Security, School Systems, and StudentsColonel Corey Hemingway, U.S. Army retired, Senior Director for Strategy & Campaign Management, Millennium Corporation
AI & Immersive Technology in K-12
  • Dr. Michael Platt, Director, Wharton Neuroscience Initiative
  • Dr. Betty Chandy, Director for Online Learning, Penn GSE
  • Dr. Cornelia Walther, Visiting Scholar at the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative
  • Dr. Michael Golden, Vice Dean of Innovative Programs and Partnerships, Penn GSE
  • John Gamba, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Penn GSE
  • Dr. Yph Lelkes, Associate Professor of Communications, Annenberg School for Communication
Practitioners' Playbook
  • Lee Ann Wentzel, Superintendent, Ridley School District
  • Dr. Matthew Burrows, Superintendent, Appoquinimink School District
  • Dr. Michael Saylor, Director, Educator Excellence, Delaware Dept. of Education
  • Beth Norcia, Superintendent, Maple Shade School District
Unpacking Difficult ConversationsDr. Howard Stevenson, Professor of Practice, Penn GSE
Physiological Recalibration During Dehumanizing EncountersDr. Sharon Ravitch, Professor of Practice, Penn GSE
Navigating Political ShiftsDr. Nancy MacLean, Professor of History and Public Policy, Duke University
How Language Shapes BehaviorDr. Jonah Berger, Associate Professor of Marketing, Wharton School at Penn
Leadership Across SectorsDr. Regina Cunningham, CEO, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Burnout ImmunityDr. Kandi Wiens, Senior Fellow in Learning, Teaching, and Literacies, Penn GSE
Unreasonable CulturesDr. Renita Miller, Executive Director, Wharton Community Engagement, Wharton School at Penn
Prioritizing Focus on Students and their Needs
  • Dr. Nancy Hacker, Former Superintendent
  • Amy Goldman, Former School Board President
Fostering Mental Health and Supporting Optimal Student Development
  • Dr. Andy Danilchick, Co-founder, Project for Mental Health and Optimal Development Penn GSE
  • Dr. Mike Nakkula, Professor of Practice, Chair, Human Development & Quantitative Methods Division, Penn GSE
Understanding Each Other and Helping School Work BetterDr. Jonathan Haidt, Social Psychologist, Stern School of Business, New York University
Leading in Uncertainty and Unpredictability
  • Dr. Bill Hite, CEO & President, Knowledgeworks, Former Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia
  • Dr. Khalid Mumin, Superintendent, Reading School District Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education
  • Dr. Andrea Kane, Professor of Practice and Education, Leadership, Penn GSE
Leading with AI In Mind
  • Dr. Betty Chandy, Director for Online Learning, Penn GSE
  • Dr. Cornelia Walther, Visiting Scholar, Wharton Neuroscience Initiative
  • Tim Hokdinson, Director of School Partnerships, Yourway Learning
  • John Gamba, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Penn GSE
AI SimulationJason Green, Co-founder and President, Yourway Learning, Co-author of Blended Learning in Action
Ecosystem Approaches to Mitigating Youth Mental Health Challenges Through Public PartnershipsJacqueline Coleman, Kentucky Lieutenant Governor
Understanding and Responding to the Anxious GenerationTim Foxx, Director, Center for School Studys Councils, Penn GSE
Student AbsenteeismDr. Michael Gottfried, Professor of Policy, Organizations, Leadership, Systems Division, Penn GSE
Adaptive Leadership
  • Dr. Sharon Ravitch, Professor of Practice Policy, Organizations, Leadership, Systems Division, Penn GSE
  • Dr. Khalid Mumin, Superintendent, Reading School District Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education
Politics, Policy, and Purpose
  • Dr. Khalid Mumin Superintendent, Reading School District, Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education
  • Dr. Lynette Kuhn, Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary for Post Secondary & Higher Education
  • Dr. Deb Carrera, Chief Education Officer, City of Philadelphia

Services Offered

The Center for School Study Councils provides three areas of service and technical assistance to superintendents and their affiliated school districts.

The Study Council staff works with affiliated school districts and other educational organizations to develop professional development workshops and retreats to meet identified organizational needs. Sample programs include:

Workshop Series

  • Excellence in Education Workshops
  • School Leadership for Community Engagement
  • An Appreciative Look at Change

Organizational Retreats

  • System Thinking and Acting Systemically
  • Understanding and Applying Appreciative Inquiry to Leadership Activities 

The Study Council staff has adapted a variety of strategic planning models for use with educational organizations. Those adaptations incorporate aspects of idealized redesign, appreciative planning, future search, and deliberative planning into more traditional models of strategic planning to create a process that best fits the needs of our clients.

Public leadership is an essential component of the superintendency. This leadership goes beyond traditional public relations and beyond making district policies and practices available to parents of children in schools. Given the essential role of parents and communities in the education of the children, both must be engaged as partners, as co-producers of the educational program.We work with districts to design ways to engage stakeholders in productive deliberative dialogue that can inform superintendent and board decision-making, building stronger school-parent-community collaboration.

Member Benefits

Membership with the Center for School Study Councils opens the door to a dynamic network of support, growth, and collaboration for educational leaders. From enriching professional development opportunities to exclusive access to expert consulting and valuable resources, members gain a comprehensive suite of benefits designed to elevate their district and impact. 

  • Half-Price Affiliation for assistant superintendents and other administrators seeking Act 45 credit, with eligibility upon required participation.
  • Discounted Access to select Catalyst @ Penn GSE programs, including short cycle inquiries, strategic leadership workshops, public meeting facilitation training.
  • Reduced Rates on consulting and technical assistance for community budgeting, strategic visioning, board goal setting, and program evaluation.
  • Free or Reduced-Fee Consulting from Penn GSE faculty, offering expert support tailored to your district’s needs.

  • Bring Up to Two Guests from your district to meetings, extending the value of membership to your leadership team.
  • Free Books from speakers at Joint Council and other meetings.
  • Free Access to Lectures Across Penn, including Penn GSE, Wharton, Arts and Sciences, Social Work, and more.
  • Access to Just-Published Articles on education, leadership, management, and other superintendent-relevant topics.
  • Meeting Notes Archive from all study council meetings—your own and others.
  • Increased Access to University Facilities for educational programs (e.g., Annenberg Center, University Museum).
  • Consultant Database Access featuring top experts from Penn, the Delaware Valley, and across the country.
  • Opportunities to Teach or Guest Lecture in Penn GSE courses on educational leadership and administration.

 

Connect with Us

Are you a superintendent or educational leader interested in joining a dynamic network of peers committed to improving public education? We’d love to hear from you.

Whether you have questions about membership, want to learn more about our monthly workshops, or are curious about how CSSC can support your district’s leadership goals—reach out today. Let’s start a conversation about how you can get involved.