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Secondary Education

In a California district, Latinx students with Latinx teachers attend more school
self-assured high school student in classroom

In a California district, Latinx students with Latinx teachers attend more school

While the teaching workforce continues to be heavily dominated by white teachers, in particular white women, the academic and social-emotional benefits for students of color of having a teacher who is their same race have been widely documented. Less studied is the impact that having a same-race teacher has on attendance.

From Penn GSE

Remote learning affected high schoolers’ social, emotional health
In the foreground, a blurred out student holding a pencil over a notebook watching a math lesson on a computer screen. In the background are blurred out plants, table and chairs.

Remote learning affected high schoolers’ social, emotional health

Research from Angela Duckworth and colleagues found that teenagers who attended school virtually fared worse than classmates who went in person, results that held even when accounting for variables like gender, race, and socioeconomic status.

Michele W. Berger

Remote students of all races, incomes suffered during pandemic

Remote students of all races, incomes suffered during pandemic

Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts & Sciences helped lead a study that explored the impact of academic, social, and emotional learning loss among high school students who learned remotely last year. “We must recognize that our nation’s students are not just lagging as performers, they are suffering as people," she said.

A post-pandemic wave of teachers leaving the workforce, and other trends
Teacher wearing face mask standing alone in a school hallway.

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.

From Penn GSE

Five tips for talking to young children about COVID-19 today
A person in a face mask giving hand sanitizer to a child also wearing a face mask.

Five tips for talking to young children about COVID-19 today

Many vaccinated adults have started going maskless, but most children still cannot. Some states are now fully open. Psychologist Caroline Watts offers parents language they can use to talk openly as a family about this newest phase of the pandemic.

Michele W. Berger

How project-based learning can prepare students for the 21st century
A group of educators in training work on a project building a tower of wooden sticks on a table.

Students in a project-based learning certificate program class collaborate to find a solution to a problem. (Image: Courtesy of Penn GSE)

How project-based learning can prepare students for the 21st century

Penn GSE dean Pam Grossman and peers argue in a new book that project-based learning, a method of instruction that identifies a project or problem that students work on, should be at the center of American public education.

From Penn GSE

How to get even better at supporting your LGBTQ+ students
Many rainbow-colored umbrellas hanging from overhead strung lighting.

How to get even better at supporting your LGBTQ+ students

Teachers, school counselors, and administrators owe it to their LGBTQ+ students, along with the rest of the student body, to provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable.

From Penn GSE

Pivoting to middle school teacher from bank teller to stay ahead of disruption

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.

‘Is inclusion even possible?’

‘Is inclusion even possible?’

Dean John L. Jackson Jr. of the Annenberg School for Communication participated in a conversation about how colleges can be more inclusive and equitable. “Difficult as it is, as challenging as it always has been, this is something we have to imagine,” he said. “The alternative is far too dark.”

The best books for young readers of 2020
Stack of YA books chosen by the Penn GSE team for its best books of 2020 list.

The best books for young readers of 2020

The sixth annual list of books, chosen by Penn GSE’s Humanizing Stories team, highlights stories of love, joy, loss, strength, and resilience.

From Penn GSE