March 25, 2024
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Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker

Parker, who took office this year, has pledged to make strengthening Philadelphia public schools a priority of her administration.

  • Philadelphia Impact
  • News from Penn GSE
March 22, 2024
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Bonilla highlights the shift from vocational training to career technical education, emphasizing its role in reducing dropout rates and promoting equitable learning opportunities.

  • Race, Equity & Inclusion
  • Education Policy & Analysis
March 20, 2024
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A presentation slide titled "9 Skills for Strategic Political Leadership" appears on a projector screen listing nine skills recommended for education leaders.

The McGraw Center's inaugural symposium, led by Cheryl Logan, focused on equipping education leaders with the skills needed to navigate the political landscape, improving student experiences and leader longevity in the field.

  • Leadership
March 15, 2024
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Penn GSE Associate Professor Brooks Bowden leaning against a chalkboard

Bowden’s research demonstrates how lenient grading policies in North Carolina high schools lead to reduced student effort and wider academic gaps, questioning current educational reforms.

  • Education Policy & Analysis
  • Teaching & Learning
March 12, 2024
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Julee Gard, wearing a red cap, a navy blue and white striped shirt, and a brown apron, is focused on serving sausages at a soup kitchen in Joliet, Illinois, alongside her University of St. Francis colleagues.

Gard developed the Financial Viability Index, a color-coded tool designed to help small, tuition-dependent colleges analyze their financial health efficiently and take actionable steps to avoid closure.

  • Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Higher Education
  • Leadership
  • Alumni
March 8, 2024
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Penn GSE Dean Katharine Strunk poses outside against a glass façade

While teacher turnover peaked in 2022, the attrition rate remains stubbornly high.

  • Education Policy & Analysis
March 7, 2024
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Sigal Ben-Porath poses warmly in a professional portrait, with a friendly smile, curly brown hair, and dressed in a blue top with white accents.

Sigal Ben-Porath recommends clear communication and contextually relevant discussions as strategies for universities to navigate the complexities of free speech on campuses.

  • Race, Equity & Inclusion
  • Higher Education
  • Leadership
March 5, 2024
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Taylor Hausburg and Zachary Herrmann at the UN.

Penn GSE alumni are addressing the challenge of climate change across various sectors, including film, finance, communications, and education, as highlighted in the Penn GSE Magazine.

  • Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Alumni
February 28, 2024
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A vintage postcard featuring the Crystal Pool at Woodside Park amusement park in West Philadelphia.

Explore West Philadelphia's heritage in a richly illustrated digital archive, where a community's stories of resilience, struggle, and triumph come to life.

  • Philadelphia Impact
February 27, 2024
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Ericka S. Weathers, with a warm smile, stands confidently, her braided hair elegantly styled into an updo, complemented by large hoop earrings, a vibrant beaded necklace, and a chic beige blazer, reflected against a glass surface.

Assistant professor calls for a new, more equitable funding formula that addresses racial and socioeconomic disparities.

  • Education Policy & Analysis
  • Higher Education

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Money is stressful, but don’t let the stress take precedence over the pursuit of your degree. I have personally used these tips to help relieve some of my own finance-induced anxiety. Your time at GSE will go by fast. Keeping money under control, whether through these tips, a budget, or other strategies, will allow you the flexibility to take full advantage of your program and the many resources the university offers.
It is that time of year once again where prospective students are considering their graduate school options. Already, people have reached out interested to learn more about the Education Policy Program at Penn. One of the first questions is always “Why did you choose Penn?”
The graduate student experience is an amalgamation of networking, building your skills, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and most of all reading.
One of the first things that struck me was how many vegan-only restaurants there were in Philly and, moreover, how good they were.

Posted by Kate Conroy '20

Seeing other Masters students in my cohort after school is great because we get to share stories from the day and give each other feedback on problems we’re having in our classroom. It’s so important to have other teachers in your life. We will never be able to come up with all the solutions we need on our own, and often, the thing we really need the most is someone else’s perspective
Penn GSE is an institution that serves the community it surrounds. It provides various resources to its community, especially to the schools in the city. Two of the resources are research and social justice.

Posted by Mandy Duong '20

Although I just moved here four months ago to start my program, I quickly fell in love with Philly and all of its quirks.
I’ve loved my coursework. I’ve been consistently excited about my classes, and have really enjoyed feeling my own academic commitments clarify with time.

Posted by Mike Hogan '20

I moved to Philadelphia this past summer from Buffalo, in upstate New York, and before that spent a year living in Boston. One of the things that I love most about living here, beyond the affordability, is the strong sense of community that I felt in Buffalo with the amenities, diversity, and resources of Boston.
So, here’s my silly confession: quantitative data terrifies me.