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Primary Education
Supporting education in Ghana
The Graduate School of Education’s Sharon Wolf is leading a research project on reaching parents in remote and impoverished regions of Ghana with supportive text messages to share information on helping their children, especially girls, succeed in school.
Penn and Lea School celebrate signing of $4.1 million commitment
The Henry C. Lea Elementary School, the University of Pennsylvania, Penn GSE, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and the School District of Philadelphia celebrated the formalization of Penn’s deepened commitment to supporting the West Philadelphia K-8 school.
Six tips to help explain the realities of war to children
Explaining the complex emotions and realities of war to children is a daunting and challenging task, but not impossible, says Penn GSE’s Marsha Richardson.
Rowana Miller and Cosmic Writers want to make writing education equitable
Along with a team of passionate fellow students, Miller runs a nonprofit called Cosmic Writers, which provides virtual and in-person writing workshops for young writers.
Building off years of success, Penn and Lea School formalize partnership
The University and its Graduate School of Education will contribute more than $4 million to the West Philadelphia K-8 school throughout the next five years.
Parental praise associated with longer toddler toothbrushing, a barometer of persistence
Using a first-of-its-kind video-based study, Penn and Yale developmental psychologists found that how parents talk to their 3-year-old during toothbrushing matters to the child’s behavior.
2021 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education honorees boast transformative accomplishments, Penn ties
Often regarded as the “Nobel Prize of Education,” the McGraw Prize is awarded annually to leaders who are pushing beyond the boundaries of the current education landscape and revolutionizing the field.
Penn Alexander celebrates achievement award from Dept. of Education
At an outdoor gathering at Penn Alexander on Sept. 21, the school community and guests celebrated its National Blue Ribbon Award.
Three things parents need for kindergarten prep
For parents with children getting ready to start kindergarten, focus on three things: reading, playing, and encouraging.
A post-pandemic wave of teachers leaving the workforce, and other trends
Penn GSE’s Richard Ingersoll has published a new report looking at who is at work in America’s classrooms, and finds that many trends he has tracked since publishing his first study continue to hold true, and in some ways have deepened.
In the News
Black and brown women are underrepresented in STEM fields. This program works with K-12 girls to fix that
Janine Remillard of the Graduate School of Education spoke about a local program that prepares Black girls for careers in STEM fields. “Black girls need to be in an environment where they can thrive by being supported as learners, and by being able to look around and see others like themselves,” she said.
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‘This is a different phase.’ It may be time for a reset on kids, school, and COVID
David Rubin of the Perelman School of Medicine co-developed new proposed guidelines for managing COVID-19 in schools, which include ending testing for asymptomatic children. “The issues around prolonging social isolation or continuing to deny access to in-person education are so far greater than the risk of the virus itself. Not just to the children but to their families themselves, particularly now that people can get vaccinated,” he said.
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A school district opted out of a free meals program, saying students could ‘become spoiled’
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that moving to a universal meal program provides important advantages for students and their families.
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Pivoting to middle school teacher from bank teller to stay ahead of disruption
Dean Pam Grossman of the Graduate School of Education said technology has yet to significantly disrupt education or replace the need for teachers. “Teaching and learning are fundamentally relational processes, and without the relationship, it’s hard to engage learners, particularly those that aren’t motivated,” she said.
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Study: Teaching force grew at more than double the enrollment rate
Richard Ingersoll of the Graduate School of Education and School of Arts & Sciences spoke about how schools and school boards are working to meet demands from parents and lawmakers. “All these demands by parents are very understandable, such as lower class size,” said Ingersoll. “Who wouldn’t want their child to be in a class of 18? And, yes, let’s teach Mandarin and, yes, let’s bring back Latin. There are so many demands but very little recognition of the costs.”
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Want to improve learning outcomes? Give students more time
Pam Grossman, dean of the Graduate School of Education, wrote an op-ed that proposing rethinking schooling to give students more time to learn. “Let’s use the pandemic to rethink how we expand and enrich learning time for children, especially those most impacted by COVID-19-related disruption,” she wrote.
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