2025 McGraw Prize in Education winners honored McGraw Prize winners (from left) Cathy N. Davidson, Joe Wolf, and Frederic Bertley.(Image: Steve Belkowitz) 2025 McGraw Prize in Education winners honored Four honorees were awarded with Penn GSE’s McGraw Prizes in Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Pre-K–12 Education in a ceremony in New York City this month. 2 min. read
Penn’s Graduate School of Education announces Usdan Endowed Chair in Special Education Penn’s Graduate School of Education announces Usdan Endowed Chair in Special Education The newly endowed faculty chair, made possible through a gift from alumna Andrea Pollack and Adam Usdan will support innovative research, teaching, and leadership in the field of special education.
Laura Perna named one of the inaugural ASHE Fellows Laura Perna named one of the inaugural ASHE Fellows The vice provost for faculty and the Graduate School for Education Centennial Presidential Professor of Education joins 24 scholars from across the country in the first class of fellows of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.
Nine honored at Alumni Award of Merit Gala (Top row) Jackie Einstein Astrof, Calvin Bland, and Denis Elton Cochran-Fikes; (middle row) James H. Greene, Susan T. Marx, and Jodi L. Miller; (bottom row) Ian A. Seltzer, Liz Theoharis, and Herman Beavers.nocred Nine honored at Alumni Award of Merit Gala On Nov. 7, eight distinguished alumni will receive Awards of Merit, the Alumni Social Impact Award, and the Creative Spirit Award, and Herman Beavers will receive the Faculty Award of Merit. 4 min. read
Hakiem Ellison: Opening doors to health care careers nocred Hakiem Ellison: Opening doors to health care careers Hakiem Ellison helps Philadelphia students explore health care career pathways and plan for their future.
University of Pennsylvania and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sign a cooperative AI advising agreement nocred University of Pennsylvania and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sign a cooperative AI advising agreement The partnership leverages Penn’s faculty experts and leadership to support AI policy and provide the Commonwealth with expertise related to AI organizational strategy, risk assessment, and governance. 2 min. read
Penn GSE’s PASS Program receives $1M from Google to expand AI education in schools Penn GSE’s PASS Program receives $1M from Google to expand AI education in schools Penn’s Graduate School of Education’s Pioneering AI in School Systems program will expand to five school districts across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware in December, and will be offered free of charge to participating districts.
Educator’s Playbook: Incorporating arts-based inquiry into literacy classrooms Educator’s Playbook: Incorporating arts-based inquiry into literacy classrooms Jessica Whitelaw, a lecturer in literacy studies at Penn’s Graduate School of Education and former middle school teacher shares how to combine art with texts to maximize critical inquiry and the imagination.
Truth Mjumbe: Using AI to preserve memory and dignity Truth Mjumbe is a graduate student in Professional Counseling at Penn’s Graduate School of Education.(Image: Courtesy of Penn GSE) Truth Mjumbe: Using AI to preserve memory and dignity Professional counseling student at Penn GSE Truth Mjumbe built Recall Aid, an AI-powered memory-support platform inspired by his own experience with epilepsy, his grandfather’s dementia, and his father’s work preserving civil rights histories. 2 min. read
Students benefit most when teachers share both their background and language skills Students benefit most when teachers share both their background and language skills A new study coauthored by Graduate School of Education’s Michael A. Gottfried is the first to show that teachers’ ability to teach in students’ home language, combined with a shared racial or ethnic background, drives greater academic gains.