Penn Graduate School of Education

09/25/2026

Wednesday night at the Fitler Club, Executive Director of the Penn Learning Network (PLN) Lara Paparo was part of a lively conversation with Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington and PA State Representative Jordan Harris on the critical role families play in driving student achievement.

What was supposed to be an hour-long discussion went on for more than 90 minutes as the panelists talked about what policy changes would make the biggest difference for Philadelphia families and what genuine family-school partnership could look like in practice. Several students from the Penn GSE Education Entrepreneurship Program were on hand to listen.

09/24/2026

Big news for the future of education innovation! Penn GSE has received a $3 million gift from the Gregory and EJ Milken Foundation to establish the Milken Endowed Scholarship for Education Entrepreneurship Fund.

This permanent scholarship support will expand access to our Education Entrepreneurship, M.S.Ed. program, helping talented students pursue bold ideas and develop new approaches to some of education’s most pressing challenges, regardless of financial circumstances.

We are deeply grateful to Gregory and EJ for investing in the next generation of education entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers.

Learn more: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/penn-gse-receives-3-million-advance-educational-entrepreneurship

PHILADELPHIA – [September 24, 2026] -- The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) announced today a $3 million commitment from the Gregory and EJ Milken Foundation, to establish the Milken Endowed Scholarship for Education En...

09/23/2026

How do we build better evidence for better decisions in education?

That’s a question Associate Professor A. Brooks Bowden is helping answer. Her work has long focused on making rigorous research relevant and consequential for education policy and practice.

Now, through the Future of Evidence in Education Network, Bowden is helping shape a national roadmap for strengthening how education evidence is produced and used.

Read more about the Network's new reports and what they could mean for the future of education research:

A new pair of reports released by the Future of Evidence in Education Network offers a roadmap for strengthening the nation's education research and development system while helping policymakers, district leaders, and educators better interpret and appl...

09/22/2026

The school counselor’s office has become the front line of America’s youth mental health crisis.

Penn GSE alum Marissa Kimmel, GED ’16, used to expect one or two student walk-ins on a good day. Now, she can have as many as 10 students seeking help, often with anxiety, emotional regulation, friendships, and conflict.

She isn’t alone.

Across schools, Penn GSE alumni are finding new ways to support students, from one-on-one counseling and suicide-risk assessments to social-emotional learning, digital literacy, and phone-free classrooms.

In the latest Penn GSE Magazine, meet the counselors doing this critical work and the Penn GSE faculty preparing them for it.

As Penn GSE Lecturer Diana Wildermuth says, “School counselors are the heart of any school.”

Read the full story:

As anxiety, depression, and crisis-level needs rise among young people, Penn GSE–trained school counselors are uniquely prepared to provide early intervention, emotional support, and essential care both inside and beyond the classroom.

09/21/2026

Please join us in congratulating David Dausey, GRD'23, on his presidential inauguration at Duquesne University! Among the almost 1,000 people in attendance in Pittsburgh on Thursday were several of Dausey's Executive Doctorate In Higher Education Management classmates, on hand to celebrate his latest chapter. At least one other alum of the program was also there, serving as a representative from their university.

09/17/2026

We are proud to announce the 2026 McGraw Prize winners!

What does it look like to truly transform education?

It looks like turning around a school district and expanding college and career pathways for students. Making higher education accessible to learners around the globe. Finding powerful new ways to help people understand the complex systems shaping our world.

This year, the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education celebrates three extraordinary leaders doing just that.

Darin Brawley: As superintendent of , Brawley has helped drive remarkable, sustained improvement, including raising graduation rates from 58% to 94%.

Shai Reshef: Founder and president of .official, Reshef has built a nonprofit, tuition-free, accredited online university serving more than 250,000 students across 220+ countries and territories.

Michael Webber: A nationally recognized professor of mechanical engineering and public policy at , Webber has brought critical energy and environmental education to learners of all ages in more than 110 countries through continuing-ed courses, tv programs, books, and K–12 resources.

For more than four decades, the McGraw Prize has honored education changemakers with the vision to challenge convention and the persistence to turn bold ideas into lasting impact. These three leaders carry that tradition forward.

Please join us in congratulating the 2026 McGraw Prize winners! 👏

Learn more about the winners and their work:

PHILADELPHIA (Sept.

09/16/2026

Learning happens when great minds come together.

This year, Penn GSE continues its tradition of hosting influential voices from across education through its annual lectures and speaker series. These events create space for our students, faculty, alumni, and broader community to engage with emerging research, diverse perspectives, and innovative ideas shaping the future of education.

The first lecture of the season—the Global Possibilities Network's “Reimagining Financial Futures: What Black Women’s Debt-Free College Pathways Can Teach Us About Possibility Development,” by Candace Marie Henry—is Friday. And we're excited to welcome another year of discovery, dialogue, and inspiration.

This year, Penn GSE is continuing its tradition of bringing leading scholars, policymakers, and education innovators to campus through a range of annual lecture and speaker series.

09/15/2026

Karen Weaver talked to Inside Higher Ed about her new book, Inside College Athletics, exploring what college leaders need to know to navigate the ever-shifting ecosystem of college sports. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2026/09/10/preparing-changing-college-athletics-landscape

Want to learn more about the legal, financial, and governance upheavals that are reshaping the foundational role of college athletics? Check out our 1.5-day certificate program: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/professional-development/new-athletics-enterprise-leadership-risk-and-institutional-strategy

Karen Weaver has been an elite athlete, a coach and a university athletics administrator. Her new book explores what college presidents—and fans—need to know to navigate the ever-shifting ecosystem of college sports.

09/14/2026

And the winners are...

The 17th annual Milken–Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition brought seven incredible education ventures to the stage on campus today, and four walked away with top prizes:

*Metaschool AI: $40,000 Michael & Lori Milken Family Foundation Grand Prize
*Unified Track, founded by current GSE doctoral student Dustin Bainbridge: $25,000 Flexion Prize
*Literacy Tree: $10,000 Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld Prize
*Brikap: $5,000 Audience Choice Prize presented by The EdSales Revenue Machine

From keeping students learning through school disruptions to supporting adult education and job training, these entrepreneurs are tackling real challenges with bold ideas built for impact.

Meet the winners and read the full story: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/winners-announced-2026-milken-penn-gse-education-business-plan-competition

The winners of the 2026 Milken–

09/10/2026

Late last month, our Early Childhood Education and Family Studies Academic Certificate Program (ECEFS) welcomed its newest cohort—number 3! Because ECEFS students come from across GSE programs and courses of study, the event was a chance for people in the certificate program to connect with each other before classes started.

Pic 2 shows cohort 2 students Uliana Zhigailo, on the left, a Suzanne McGraw scholar in TESOL, and Stefani Rios, a student in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development, talking about their experiences in the ECEFS program and answering new student questions.

At the orientation event, students also learned about ECEFS coursework and some of the opportunities that are available to them. One such opportunity is the ECEFS Speaker Series, which kicks off on October 5, at noon. Hirokazu Yoshikawa, the Courtney Sale Ross Professor of Globalization and Education at NYU Steinhardt, will give a talk on “Understanding and supporting infant, toddler and early childhood development in contexts of displacement and crisis."

Details for the hybrid event: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/events/early-childhood-families-speaker-series-hirokazu-yoshikawa