Penn Graduate School of Education

09/10/2026

Late last month, our Early Childhood Education and Family Studies Academic Certificate Program (ECEFS) welcomed its newest cohort—number 3! Because ECEFS students come from across GSE programs and courses of study, the event was a chance for people in the certificate program to connect with each other before classes started.

Pic 2 shows cohort 2 students Uliana Zhigailo, on the left, a Suzanne McGraw scholar in TESOL, and Stefani Rios, a student in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development, talking about their experiences in the ECEFS program and answering new student questions.

At the orientation event, students also learned about ECEFS coursework and some of the opportunities that are available to them. One such opportunity is the ECEFS Speaker Series, which kicks off on October 5, at noon. Hirokazu Yoshikawa, the Courtney Sale Ross Professor of Globalization and Education at NYU Steinhardt, will give a talk on “Understanding and supporting infant, toddler and early childhood development in contexts of displacement and crisis."

Details for the hybrid event: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/events/early-childhood-families-speaker-series-hirokazu-yoshikawa

09/09/2026

Today, we bring our summer series to a close after a season of showcasing the breadth of our alumni's work across every school, center, and type of office at Penn, from student life to academics, alumni relations, admissions, and more!

Today, we spotlight an alum who supports residential life at the university: Sonia L. Elliott, C'88, GED'01, director of Ware College House—the largest of the three First-Year Communities located within the historic Quadrangle—and former dean of DuBois College House.

"My experience in GSE was priceless in that it helped me connect and apply both theory to practice and practice to theory! My GSE education continues to help me answer the 'why do we do what we do' questions and encourages me to continue to educate myself regarding trends and theories focused on higher education," says Sonia, who also previously worked in undergraduate admissions here at Penn.

09/08/2026

On this first day back after Labor Day, we are looking back at a few of the Penn GSE faculty's summer publications.

How do Chinese mothers’ visions for their children’s futures shape how they parent today? What role can parents play in improving adolescent sleep? How do middle school teachers learn to coach their peers in history instruction? New publications from Penn GSE researchers take up these questions and more.

Learn more:

How do Chinese mothers' visions for their children's futures shape how they parent today? What role can parents play in improving adolescent sleep? How do middle school teachers learn to coach their peers in history instruction? New publications from Pe...

09/03/2026

We are so excited that Lancaster County Day School has joined our Independent School Teaching Residency and that Whitney and Alex have started their teaching journey there!

Learn more about our Independent School Teaching Residency: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/academics/independent-school-teaching-residency-msed

This year marks the beginning of an exciting new partnership between LCDS and Penn Graduate School of Education as a member of the Independent School Teaching Residency program.

Through this prestigious initiative, we are bringing the latest research-based educational practices directly into our classrooms, while also helping to shape the next generation of teachers.

Please join us in welcoming our inaugural Penn Fellows to campus:

Whitney Finney ‘20 (Math Fellow)
B.S., Dickinson College

Alex Kaye (Science Fellow)
B.A., Vassar College
Graduate Fellowship in Education & NYS Teaching Certificate
OISE Certificate in International Education for IB, University of Toronto

Over the next two years, Whitney and Alex will teach full-time at LCDS alongside veteran faculty mentors, while also completing their M.S. in Education at University of Pennsylvania. Their presence brings Ivy League insights, fresh energy, and inspiring mentorship to our students both in the classroom and across our school community.

09/02/2026

The semester's the Educator's Playbook kicks off with practical ideas and recommended resources from education historian Lauren Lefty on how to help students explore America’s past—and its continuing impact—in this year's of the country's 250th birthday.

The Playbook is a web feature and monthly email that provides practical solutions to the real-world challenges of today’s schools, designed by leading K–12 experts.

The nation's 250th anniversary has offered educators an opportunity to move beyond teaching the American Revolution as a single, familiar story or tedious march through names, dates, and facts. Instead, says Penn GSE historian of education Lauren Lefty,...

09/01/2026

On the occasion of America's 250th birthday, Jonathan Zimmerman, a historian of education, shared the history of civics education in Penn GSE Magazine.

From a Founding Father who wanted schools to make young people into “republican machines” to the “common schools” that arose in the 1830s and 1840s, learn about the history of civics, which is as old as the country itself:

In honor of America's 250th Birthday, Professor Jonathan Zimmerman takes a look back at the history of civics education, which is almost as old as the country itself.

08/31/2026

Please join us in welcoming Assistant Professor Julie Petersen to Penn GSE! Her research explores how to make evidence-based mental health care more effective and accessible for children, adolescents, and families.

"I also love the growing emphasis on involving community members in research and academic work," she said. "I am looking forward to involving youth as partners in my own lab at Penn GSE. Youth have traditionally not been involved in research focusing on their mental health, so it is exciting when researchers incorporate their perspectives. The creative potential and lived experience of many young people can provide crucial knowledge for improving our understanding of mental health interventions. We want the skills for young people to be relevant, meaningful, and effective, so we might as well ask them what they think!"

Learn more about Petersen and her research:

For Julie Petersen, improving youth mental health begins with a simple but powerful belief: early support can change lives. As a clinical psychologist and researcher, she studies how to make evidence-based mental health interventions more effective and ...

08/28/2026

“Existing scholarship suggests that financial incentives can encourage desired behavior, particularly in the short term, but the effectiveness depends on how the incentive is structured and the behavior being targeted,” Penn GSE Assistant Professor Ericka Weathers told Inc. in a piece about a Detroit program that pays students $100 for a week of perfect attendance.

Learn more:

Detroit recently renewed a program that pays students for perfect attendance. Experts say the idea may help combat deeper barriers.

08/27/2026

Congratulations to Sue Kwon, PhD candidate in our Learning Sciences and Technologies program, for winning a Best Paper Award in the 5th Graduate Student Special Issue of The Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (JRSMTE)!

The award-winning paper, "Beyond Asynchronous and Synchronous: Bichronous Online STEM Professional Development in Bioinformatics for High School Science Teachers" was co-authored with Sue's mentor, GSE Presidential Professor Susan Yoon, and Jooeun Shim from Teachers College. It explores how intentionally sequencing self-paced and live online learning creates richer opportunities for teacher collaboration and knowledge building in professional development. (This work is grounded in Yoon's multi-year, National Science Foundation-funded research program examining how high school teachers integrate bioinformatics into classroom practice.)

As Sue and her collaborators discovered, "the most productive collaborative learning happened as teachers built knowledge moving between the modalities, not within either space." Congratulations on this outstanding achievement and contribution to the field of learning sciences and online education!

Read the paper: https://jrsmte.com/article/beyond-asynchronous-and-synchronous-bichronous-online-stem-professional-development-in-18691

08/26/2026

across every School and Center at the University. Meet Suzanne Rose, C'77, GED'78, a proud Penn alumna whose career has been dedicated to shaping the next generation of physicians and physician-scientists. Suzi has spent nearly three decades leading innovations in medical education across some of the nation's top institutions. Currently a professor of medicine and special advisor on education to the dean at the Perelman School of Medicine, she credits her Penn GSE experience, including her recently completed Executive Coaching Certificate, with inspiring the creativity, leadership, and educational vision that have guided her remarkable career.

"When I began medical school, I planned to pursue a career as a medical educator, a role that was not well-defined at the time," she said. "The education I received at GSE was exceptional, and as I often share with my medical students, my career has truly been a remarkable journey. I feel both humbled and privileged to have had the opportunity to educate the next generation of physicians and physician-scientists, teaching them to care for patients and serve our community with empathy and expertise."

What makes Suzi's story even more special is her family's extraordinary three-generation connection to Penn GSE. Her mother, Ryda D. Rose, CW'50, GRD'71, earned her EdD from Penn GSE while raising three children and went on to spend 31 years on the faculty, mentoring students and earning numerous teaching honors. Today, at age 98, she remains a leader in her community.

And Suzi's daughter, Izzi Rose Stern, recently joined the Penn GSE community as associate director of community, climate, and doctoral education after building her own award-winning career in higher education.

Three generations, one shared passion for education, mentorship, and lifelong learning.