Education Policy | Penn Today

Abasketball game celebrating the anniversary of Title IX in 2012. (Image: Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education)

Title IX and disability, 50 years later

On the anniversary of the landmark bill, Penn Carey Law’s Jasmine Harris shares five things to know about how Title IX and disability intersect.

One country, two histories: What does it mean to be an American?

Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education says that the United States has come to an inflection point in our disagreements about what America is and what it means.

African American person sitting outside on a college campus with books and a backpack.

Indicators report shows escalating disparities for students of color and poor students

Report from The Pell Institute and PennAHEAD highlights stark differences in debt burden and benefits of higher education among ethnic groups that has significantly widened in recent years.

Supporting education in Ghana

The Graduate School of Education’s Sharon Wolf is leading a research project on reaching parents in remote and impoverished regions of Ghana with supportive text messages to share information on helping their children, especially girls, succeed in school.

Momentum builds behind a three-year degree to lower college costs

Robert Zemsky of the Graduate School of Education is quoted on the worries that speeding up curriculum to graduate from college in three years would “cheapen the degree.”

America as it actually was

“Teaching Independence: Bridging the Communications Gap,” took an in-depth look at the challenges of teaching the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, and the nation’s founding in the current political climate.

A high school classroom with several empty desks.

Absenteeism actively harms everybody—even the students who show up

A new brief co-authored by Penn GSE associate professor Michael Gottfried breaks down the issue of absenteeism and introduces a three-tier strategy for administrators, teachers, and parents to employ.

Marchers waving gay pride flags make their way long a boardwalk with the skyline of St. Petersburg, Florida, in the background

Q&A

Anti-LGBTQ measures

Penn Law’s Tobias Wolff discusses the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill and a Texas directive on transgender children.

Scores on Pa. standardized tests fell in 2021, but many students didn’t take them

Jonathan Supovitz of the Graduate School of Education commented on the drop in Pennsylvania students’ standardized testing scores. Given the pandemic and the challenges of virtual learning, Supovitz said the scores are “not surprising, and it is also entirely consistent with other places in the country.”

Man in blue jacket on Penn's campus in late afternoon winter light.

Pandemic shifts: Oliver Kaplan on outing and education policy

The pandemic led Oliver Kaplan, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, to reconsider his academic path. He changed his major to philosophy and now hopes to shape educational policy for LGBTQ+ students.

Filters