Penn Graduate School of Education

The day before , Penn GSE celebrated another milestone: the annual doctoral hooding ceremony. At this year's event, 72 new PhDs and EdDs received their hoods from their advisors in the Zellerbach Theatre in the .

For a full gallery of photos from the special day: https://penng.se/photos

What's next for our Class of 2026 graduates? Well, Mark J. Comesañas, a recent grad of our Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational and Organizational Leadership, is the the executive director of My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Newark, a nonprofit focused on closing opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color through policy and system-change work, and was recently elected to his local school board.

Mark is always working to scale his impact.

“When I was a teacher, I served the 30 students in my classroom,” he said. “As a school leader, I served the hundreds in my schools. As a nonprofit leader, I influence ecosystems that serve thousands of boys and young men of color across my city.”

Read more about Mark:

Class of 2026: Mark J. Comesañas Mark J. Comesañas is always looking to scale his impact.

Penn GSE has been awarded a $720,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation to support the launch of the Learning Embedded Approach to Preparation and Staffing (LEAPS), an ambitious model that reimagines how teachers learn, grow, and remain in the profession.

Built on years of research and deep partnerships with Philadelphia schools, LEAPS creates a new staffing and learning structure that places multiple adults—an experienced Attending teacher, an Early Career teacher, and at least one teacher Candidate—in two or more PreK–4 classrooms, all learning together while centering student outcomes.

Learn more:

Penn GSE Awarded Grant to Transform Teacher Preparation Through Innovative New Model A new, two-year $720,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation will support the launch of the Learning Embedded Approach to Preparation and Staffing (LEAPS), an ambitious model that reimagines how teachers learn, grow, and remain in the profession.

At the end of the year, the Penn GSE Student Showcase brought together students, faculty, and community members for an inspiring afternoon of ideas in action. Students across degree programs proudly presented the projects they’ve developed throughout the year—highlighting the creativity, research, and dedication that define the Penn GSE experience.

From thoughtful conversations with peers to engaging discussions with the Dean, the showcase was more than a presentation—it was a moment to reflect on growth, share impact, and celebrate the journey toward graduation and beyond.

Congratulations to all of our presenters—we can’t wait to see where your work takes you next!

New research from Penn GSE former dean Pam Grossman and postdoctoral scholar Maya Kaul shines a light on a big question in education: how do teacher certification rules shape who gets to teach—and the quality of education students receive? The takeaway? Certification policies aren’t just paperwork. They can open doors—or create barriers—for aspiring teachers, especially in a time of ongoing teacher shortages and efforts to build a more diverse workforce.

Learn more:

Penn GSE researchers examine how teacher certification policies shape access and quality In Teacher Certification Policies: Balancing Quality and Access in the Teaching Profession, Penn GSE former dean Pam Grossman and postdoctoral scholar Maya Kaul analyze California's teacher certification system as part of Stanford University's Getting D...

Professor Janine Remillard has been appointed Penn GSE's inaugural associate dean for community, climate, and doctoral education, an important new leadership role shaped directly by the recommendations of faculty and staff.

Learn more:

Penn GSE Appoints Inaugural Associate Dean for Community, Climate, and Doctoral Education Penn GSE has appointed Professor Janine Remillard as its inaugural associate dean for community, climate, and doctoral education, an important new leadership role shaped directly by the recommendations of faculty and staff.

In his latest piece for University World News, Penn GSE Senior Fellow Peter Eckel argues that when times get hard, higher ed doesn’t just need better math, it needs better inspiration, framing, and leadership thinking.

It's a must-read for those interested in the future of higher education, institutional strategy, or leadership under pressure:

Facing hard times, universities need inspiration not maths Institutional leaders in universities and colleges that are facing budgetary stress face a choice: they can manage to the bottom line and focus on rig...

Following her recent graduation from Penn GSE's Professional Counseling Program, Anisha Vanka, GED'26, is heading to Washington, D.C., where she will be a Congressional Fellow with the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.

“In this role, I will work in the D.C. office of House Representative Dave Min (CA-47), learning about and doing the various duties of a congressional staffer," she said.

This is quite a pivot for someone who thought they wanted to be a school counselor, but it was influenced by her time at GSE.

"I did my practicum at a K–8 school in West Philly and my internship at a suburban high school," she said. "These schools could not have been more different with regards to location, environment, culture, and student population. That being said, they still experienced similar issues, just in different ways. Working at these schools motivated me to become involved in making differences at a structural level."

Learn more about Anisha's studies and path ahead:

Class of 2026: Anisha Vanka Anisha Vanka came to Penn GSE certain of her path ahead.

The next cohort of our Talent Development Executive Certificate Program is enrolling now for a July 8 start date.

Learn more: https://www.td.org/education/talent-development-executive-certificate

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Alumni Weekend!

From reconnecting with friends and celebrating award-winners to exploring AI’s growing role in education during a wide-ranging panel discussion, we had an inspiring time together.

Catch the highlights:

Alumni Weekend Panel Explores AI's Growing Role in Education Every year at Alumni Weekend, Penn GSE welcomes graduates back to campus to reconnect with one another and engage in conversations around some of the most pressing issues facing education today. This year's featured panel, “AI in Education: What Parents...