Our leadership activities focus on developing the visionaries of tomorrow—those who can navigate complex educational landscapes, foster inclusive environments, and drive systemic change.
Whether in schools, universities, or educational organizations, our work empowers leaders with the knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding needed to make a lasting impact on education and society.
Research and Action Initiatives
Penn GSE prepares leaders to take charge of schools and universities, launch educational companies, oversee state and federal agencies, and create better educational opportunities for all students.
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Catalyst
A center for global education innovation, Catalyst @ Penn GSE connects people and ideas to develop new ways to advance education in novel and meaningful directions.
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Catalyst Community Conversations
Catalyst Community Conversations (CCC) develops, implements, and facilitates public deliberative conversations on important issues.
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Center for School Study Councils
The Center for School Study Councils (CSSC) serves as a catalyst for public school superintendents to be proactive leaders and facilitates their professional learning and application of that learning.
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Coalition for Educational Excellence
The Coalition for Educational Excellence provides innovative resources, research-based training, and technical assistance and consultation to school district leaders throughout the Mid-Atlantic region in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
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Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education
The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education celebrates innovation in education by recognizing outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to improving education and whose accomplishments are making a difference today.
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McGraw Center for Educational Leadership
The McGraw Center is developing a global community of learning leaders across all educating sectors, advancing how we anticipate, plan, and focus our practices to meet today’s and future challenges.
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Penn Learning Network
The Penn Learning Network (PLN) is a comprehensive professional development/curricular enhancement/school reform program, providing on-site and regionally based credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing courses, workshops, coaching programs, and leadership trainings.
Leadership News
Hartman joins Penn GSE as director of the Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management and senior fellow, effective July 7.
On May 17, in the Palestra, Penn GSE commemorated the achievements of the roughly 600 master’s and doctoral graduates at this year’s Commencement ceremony.
The McGraw Center for Educational Leadership hosted Obama’s education secretary for public conversation with Dean Katharine Strunk.
Professor of Practice Andrea Kane emphasizes the importance of educators and school leaders engaging with themselves, each other, and their school communities to navigate district policies, state laws, and complex or controversial topics in the classroom.
Kemi Oyewole’s past studies in economics and organizational structures and experience in the Boston Teaching Residency stoked a passion for improving educator professional development.
Michael Gottfried joined education leaders to address chronic absenteeism, emphasizing the importance of collaboration across schools, communities, and government to break down barriers and improve attendance.
The first-of-its-kind program aims to support university presidents and senior higher education leaders in championing transformation and innovation within their institutions.
This year’s theme, “The Leadership Moment,” addressed significant challenges in the field, from the enrollment cliff to school mergers and acquisitions and speech freedom.
Dr. Lilian Ajayi Ore has worked with the UN, established a foundation advocating for youth and women’s rights, and now works as a research scholar. She says Penn CLO’s practitioner–scholar approach has had a profound impact on her work.