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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.

Two high school students at a table looking at a laptop.

To spread important messages about teen mental health, make community connections

After creating memes and TikToks with Philly high schoolers, Jeffrey Fishman’s honors thesis explores how those messages can effectively reach their audience.

person dressed as a polar bear performs for a crowd

Student climate champions gather to share stories and inspiration

More than 150 Philadelphia high schoolers came together at WHYY in a climate storytelling event organized by the public media company and the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities.

A student pedals a bike to provide energy to power a blender.

Netter Center marks 30 years of community partnerships

With science experiments, garden plantings, and twirling flags, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships celebrated its 30th anniversary at West Philadelphia High School.

Four scientists speak in a dairy cow facility

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.

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.

Educational inequities? Follow the numbers, says Ericka Weathers

The Penn GSE professor studies how policies that are supposed to be race-neutral, like school funding formulas, truancy policy, or special education, end up failing marginalized groups, and urges a look at the results of past policies to better inform moving forward.

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.

NBC News

Texas has taken over the Houston school district. Educational outcomes have not always improved in other states that have done so

Jonathan Supovitz of the Graduate School of Education says that there’s evidence in both directions on the question of whether state takeover of individual districts can improve student learning.

Philadelphia Inquirer

Black students in Lower Merion got racist emails. One mother says the school should have done more in response

Andrea Kane of the Graduate School of Education says that a school administration’s response to racism depends on the specifics of the incident, such as how much disruption was caused and whether threats of violence were made.

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