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.

From Penn GSE

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.

From Penn GSE

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.

Katherine Unger Baillie

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.

Katherine Unger Baillie



In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

Sandra Day O’Connor and the promise of civic education

Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education writes that teaching schoolchildren about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship might be the only way to heal our polarized society.

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CalMatters

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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The Irish Times (Dublin)

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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Inside Higher Ed

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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Albuquerque Journal

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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Education Week

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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