Primary Education | Penn Today

Two teachers having a discussion in a classroom.

New teacher-staffing model rethinks ‘one-teacher, one-classroom’

A new study by Penn GSE’s Richard Ingersoll evaluates a team-based model of organizing teaching staff in elementary and secondary schools that integrates teams of teaching staff in contrast to this traditional one-teacher, one-classroom approach.

2 min. read

Inaya Zaman, Rashmi Acharya, and Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio.

Nourish to Flourish

Fourth-years Rashmi Acharya, Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio and Inaya Zaman created Nourish to Flourish, winner of a 2025 President’s Engagement Prize. The trio will work with community partners at the Benjamin B. Comegys School in West Philadelphia to encourage healthier food choices.

7 min. read

Robots in the reading room: GRASP Lab brings hands-on STEM to Roxborough

Now in its third year, a partnership between GRASP and the Roxborough Library called Fun with Robots introduces robotics to kids through workshops led by Penn Engineering graduate students.

Angela Duckworth lecturing a class with a white board.

A simple way to boost math progress

Researchers from Penn’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative and their collaborators conducted a megastudy to investigate whether low-cost nudges–informed by behavioral science–could help teachers accelerate student progress in math.

3 min. read

Kayla Gay looking into a microscope in a lab.

From lab to classroom: The Center for Engineering MechanoBiology

Penn’s Center for Engineering Mechanobiology is a summer program for K-12 teachers in Philadelphia to work with scientists and engineers to develop innovative, hands-on lessons to engage students in STEM-integrated education.

Dean Katharine Strunk looking ahead in front of the GSE building.

Penn GSE dean on meeting and making the moment

Katharine Strunk, dean of the Graduate School of Education, began her tenure in July 2023. This week, she announced the School’s strategic vision, Together for Good.

Exterior of Roxborough High School in Philadelphia

Update on Penn’s $100M pledge to Philadelphia public schools

Significant progress has been made in the four years since Penn pledged $100 million to the School District of Philadelphia to remediate environmental hazards, including asbestos and lead, in hundreds of school buildings.

With pandemic stimulus funds sunsetting, Penn GSE expert offers investment ideas

If school districts have remaining pandemic aid, Penn GSE’s Brooks Bowden says they could invest in data analytics capabilities on information to guide decisions on programs, staff, tutoring services, or technology to meet students’ needs.

An elementary school student doing math on a white board.

Celebrating Penn GSE’s pilot elementary math tutoring elective

The academically based community service elective is supported by Penn’s Netter Center, with the aim to redefine traditional tutoring by designing its curriculum and approach.

Taussia Boadi and Cheryl Nnadi pose on Penn's campus in front of College Hall, green grass and a huge tree.

Positioned for Success

The program, launched by recent College of Arts and Sciences grads Taussia Boadi and Cheryl Nnadi, was a 2023 Projects for Progress winner and provides academic support to middle school students affected by gun violence.

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