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Nourish to Flourish
Inaya Zaman, Rashmi Acharya, and Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio.

Fourth-years (from left) Inaya Zaman, Rashmi Acharya, and Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio 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 and use behavioral economics principals to encourage healthier food choices.

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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

A simple way to boost math progress
Angela Duckworth lecturing a class with a white board.

“Our results showed that simple, low-cost nudges can help teachers support student progress in math,” says Penn psychology professor Angela Duckworth.

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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

From lab to classroom: The Center for Engineering MechanoBiology
Kayla Gay looking into a microscope in a lab.

Kayla Gay, who teaches middle school in Northwest Philadelphia, spent the summer learning about lab techniques that she can bring back to her classroom.

(Image: Courtesy of Kayla Gay)

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.

Ian Scheffler

Penn GSE dean on meeting and making the moment
Dean Katharine Strunk looking ahead in front of the GSE building.

Katharine Strunk, dean of the Penn Graduate School of Education.

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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.
Update on Penn’s $100M pledge to Philadelphia public schools
Exterior of Roxborough High School in Philadelphia

The funding Penn is providing to Philadelphia Public Schools is being used to remediate environmental hazards in schools throughout the city, including the 100-year-old Roxborough High School in North Philadelphia.

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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
Brooks Bowden.

Penn GSE associate professor Brooks Bowden.

(Image: Lora Reehling for Penn GSE)

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.

From Penn GSE

Celebrating Penn GSE’s pilot elementary math tutoring elective
An elementary school student doing math on a white board.

Image: iStock/Ridofranz

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.

From Penn GSE

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

Cheryl Nnadi (left) and Taussia Boadi (right) created Positioned for Success, a 2023 winner of Projects for Progress.

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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.

Kristen de Groot

A shared passion for community engagement
Vicky Swanson, Hongyang Zhao, and Toby Johnson.

(Left to right) Penn GSE’s Vicki Swanson, Hongyang Zhao, and Toby Johnson share how their how community engagements deepen their connection with West Philadelphia.

(Image: Scott Spitzer)

A shared passion for community engagement

The Graduate School of Education helps students put their knowledge into practice through community engagement. Three soon-to-be graduates speak with Penn Today about how their service enabled them to deepen their connection with West Philadelphia.