Penn Graduate School of Education

10/28/2026

Please join us in congratulating Penn GSE faculty member Charlotte E. Jacobs, GR'17, and alum Katie Clonan-Roy, GR'16, on the publication of their book "Exploring Educational and Developmental Experiences of Girls of Color: Girlhood Reimagined" (Emerald). Bringing together researchers, practitioners, and adolescent girls themselves, the book demonstrates the power of including young people as partners in knowledge creation and offers new perspectives on the strengths, experiences, and possibilities of girls of color.

It's out TODAY digitally and the print edition follows on Nov. 18.

Learn more: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/penn-gse-publication-collaborative-vision-girls-color

10/27/2026

Penn GSE Homecoming is more than a reunion. It's a chance to engage with the ideas shaping education today.

Don't miss our alumni panel on teacher preparation, featuring graduates who are leading innovative work to recruit, develop, and support educators. Connect with fellow alumni and explore what's next for the profession.

Join us Nov. 14 at 11 am to hear from Laura Boyce, GED’09, Executive Director of Teach Plus PA; Stacy Holland, GRD’20, Executive Director of Elevate 215; and Meredith Mehra, GED’07, GRD’24, Deputy Chief of Teaching and Learning for the School District of Philadelphia. A brunch reception will follow.

See you there? https://www.gse.upenn.edu/events/penn-gse-homecoming-2026

10/26/2026

How can brain science inform the way we educate and lead? At the recent UN Brain Summit, Tim Foxx, director of Penn GSE's School Study Council, explored that question in conversation with Wharton's Michael Platt, connecting neuroscience to educational leadership and human development.

Grateful to the European Brain Council for bringing together experts across disciplines to help shape the future of learning and human potential.

10/22/2026

"What does the future of learning look like in the age of AI?"

Penn GSE Associate Professor Seiji Isotani explored that question before an engaged audience at the National Constitution Center, joining President J. Larry Jameson and other leaders (Perelman School Of Medicine's Anne Marie McCarthy, Wharton student/entrepreneur Crystal Yang) for An Evening With Penn event focused on innovation and the ideas shaping tomorrow.

We're proud to see our faculty bringing research-informed perspectives to some of today's most important conversations about technology and learning.

10/21/2026

Dean Katharine Strunk just returned from a successful trip to China for Penn GSE. While there, she presented on teacher shortages and AI at Peking University's International Conference on The Economics of Education in the Era of Global Transformation, connected with Penn GSE alumni across the region, and participated in a forum with alums and faculty from both GSE and Tsinghua University. She also helped strengthen the School's global partnerships through the signing of four MOUs with three outstanding universities: Chinese School of Hong Kong- Shenzhen, Beijing International Studies University, and Beijing Foreign Studies University.

We're grateful for the warm welcome and excited about the new opportunities for collaboration, research, and impact that lie ahead.

10/20/2026

Anahita Kumar, GRD’25, recently published research, begun during her doctoral studies, examining how mobile interventions can help parents with limited literacy support early childhood development. Her paper, “Supporting Early Learning: An Audio-Video Program for Low-Literate Parents of Young Children in Urban India,” published in the International Journal of Education Research, began its life back in 2020, during her first year in our Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development doctoral program.

Now a research specialist at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, Kumar conducts quantitative evaluations with school districts, continuing her commitment to community-centered research.

“If I’m able to continue to be engaged in communities, if I’m able to still be a part of research that’s so directly connected with people, that’s more than enough to keep me happy,” she said.

Read more:

New research published in the International Journal of Education Research by Anahita Kumar, GRD'25, represents not only a step towards better understanding mobile academic support for young children, but also the long road of Kumar's research agenda.

10/19/2026

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a student at Penn GSE? Have questions about our Professional Counseling program? Curious about what it’s like to be a graduate resident advisor on campus? Learn about all that and more in Bhavya Dixit’s Day in the Life video.

10/16/2026

The Philadelphia Tribune explored how Philly teachers and administrators are putting our Pioneering AI in School Systems program, or PASS, program to use. PASS—which helps administrators, school leaders, and teachers develop AI literacy, lead strategic planning efforts, and ethically use AI—started as a pilot program in Philadelphia, but has expanded to districts in three states.

Learn about the collaboration in Philadelphia:

Artificial intelligence is changing how educators teach, students learn and schools operate. But as its use grows, so does the need to understand the technology — and its risks.

10/15/2026

Community colleges were built to meet students where they are. Today, they're doing more than that. They're innovating, adapting, and helping learners navigate a rapidly changing economy.

A piece in our spring/summer 2026 issue of Penn GSE Magagzine explores how community colleges are responding to enrollment shifts, workforce demands, and evolving student needs with creativity and resilience. It's a compelling look at why these institutions remain among the most important engines of opportunity in higher education.

Read the feature: https://publications.gse.upenn.edu/issue/spring-summer-2026/designed-to-serve-built-to-adapt/

It has been a dark season for higher education. Declining birth rates after the 2008 financial crisis have led to a so-called “demographic cliff,” a dearth of 18-year-olds to fill the spots at the nation's universities.

10/14/2026

How do you build trust when your team isn't in the same room?

The newest Penn CLO Podcast episode dives into the small interactions, shared norms, and constructive disagreements that help virtual teams thrive. If you're leading or working on a remote or hybrid team, you'll come away with practical ideas for strengthening connection and collaboration.

Listen and subscribe:

In this episode of The PennCLO podcast, Sharon Ravitch explores the practicalities of remote team leadership with Karen Bicking, head of talent management at CompoSecure and a Penn CLO graduate.