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Primary Education
How to explain war to children: Tips from Penn GSE
Marsha Richardson, director of Penn GSE’s School and Mental Health Counseling Program, says navigating disturbing current events is challenging, but can be done in thoughtful and supportive ways.
How to encourage student attendance
From Penn GSE’s Educator’s Playbook, Michael Gottfried highlights approaches that schools and teachers can take to address absenteeism by identifying root causes and creating a supportive environment for all students.
The PZ project: Children’s and young adult literature on the rise
From picture books to 'The Poet X,' Penn Libraries are expanding and diversifying their holdings of books for young readers.
A new high-touch, low-tech approach to summer learning in West Philadelphia
The format of the joint pilot collaboration with the Netter Center and Penn GSE has been transformed to better focus on the needs of the young students.
A Book a Day inspires young readers with inclusiveness and representation
A Book a Day, a nonprofit run by Penn GSE’s Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova, has partnered with medical providers like the Puentes de Salud clinic to provide books to children, including titles in Spanish and other languages.
Cross-disciplinary collaboration for a healthier planet
The Environmental Innovations Initiative announces a third round of funded research communities to catalyze interdisciplinary research at Penn, investigating issues from regenerative agriculture to project-based learning for global climate justice.
Suzanne McGraw Foundation makes $5 million gift to Penn GSE around early childhood education
The gift is one of the largest ever to the School. It will support student scholarships, a cross-University graduate concentration, and cross-disciplinary programming.
Green solutions are transforming a West Philadelphia grade school
With support from grants and the Netter Center, the Andrew Hamilton School in Cobbs Creek is now home to a food forest and a thriving garden, providing healthy produce, green space, stormwater management, and educational opportunities.
Netter Center kicks off 30th anniversary programming
A fall celebration at Andrew Hamilton School showcased Penn’s flourishing University-Assisted Community Schools initiative.
What is the impact of Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan?
A Graduate School of Education expert and faculty director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model’s take a look at the budgetary costs and distributional impact of the U.S. President’s initiative.
In the News
Schools in poorer neighborhoods struggle to keep teachers. How offering them more money and power might help
Richard Ingersoll of the Graduate School of Education says that giving educators more authority at their workplace makes them feel like respected professionals.
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Lego, martial arts and dance classes: How one school tackled school absenteeism
A 2022 Penn study found a return of three dollars for every dollar invested in City Connects, a pilot project that links students with support for basic needs and enrichment activities.
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How gross inequalities in institutional wealth distort the higher education ecosystem and shortchange the vast majority of middle- and lower-income undergraduates
Penn is noted for its pledge to contribute $100 million over 10 years to renovate decrepit Philadelphia schools, potentially assisting a more diverse student body.
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New Mexico can turn the tide by increasing classroom time
A study co-authored by economists at Penn found that a longer school year showed an “extremely robust” association with higher student achievement.
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Africana studies can save education—and the world
Ismael Jimenez of the Graduate School of Education writes that "Africana studies is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the study of Black people and history, but it also represents a foundational building block of a more just world."
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This Philly-area elementary school saw test scores plummet. Now it’s putting all its resources toward catching up.
Nicole Carl of the Graduate School of Education says that teachers are feeling pressure from administrators to boost test scores.
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