Education Policy | Penn Today

Tough conversations and innovative outlooks in higher ed

President Amy Gutmann and Graduate School of Education scholar Robert Zemsky took part in a “fireside chat” at this year’s Higher Education Leadership Conference at Penn, which also awarded Gutmann the Zemsky Medal.

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2020 is the perfect year to engage students as active citizens

In 2020, young people will get a clear look at how individual actions can shape government and policy, and how these affect their lives in tangible ways.

The Trump Administration is using accusations of anti-Semitism to silence criticism of Israel

Ian Lustick of the School of Arts and Sciences wrote an opinion piece about the current administration’s efforts to “chill free speech and criticism of Israel” using the Department of Education’s civil rights mandate.

Revolving door: Teachers, principals churn through HISD’s lowest-performing schools

Richard Ingersoll of the Graduate School of Education and School of Arts and Sciences spoke about the importance of teaching-staff retention. “We have 50 years of research that shows good schools have a sense of community and strong bonds,” he said. “The good schools, it’s not like a factory. It’s more like a family.”

Bernie Sanders unveils education plan to eliminate student loan debt

Joni E. Finney of the Graduate School of Education said presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ plan to eliminate student loan debt “doesn’t match the complexity of the cost education problem.”

What budget cuts during the Great Recession did to pupils’ test scores

A study co-authored by Matthew Steinberg of the Graduate School of Education was cited in an article about the effects of budget cuts on test scores in poor and minority school districts.

Expert: Retention strategies could help teacher shortage

Richard Ingersoll of the Graduate School of Education and School of Arts and Sciences said the majority of teachers who leave the profession do so because of the working conditions. “It’s not about the person,” he says. “It has to do with the schools.”

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The future of learning is digital

Penn GSE’s Yasmin Kafai, a learning scientist who has designed tools and communities to promote coding, crafting, and creativity, believes we need to change how we think about teaching and learning, while making sure every child has a chance to develop these vital skills.

Teachers have trust issues

Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education spoke about teachers’ increasingly numerous targets for mistrust, which range from philanthropic groups to government agencies. “The skepticism of authority is not new,” he said. “But the skepticism of those authorities is new, because the political realm changed to allow them to exert a whole lot more power and prominence.”

The truth about bilingualism: It’s only for some students

Dual-language programs are on the rise in U.S. schools—and these programs are often concentrated in affluent or gentrifying neighborhoods. Penn GSE’s Nelson Flores, writing for EdWeek’s “10 Big Ideas in Education” report, explains that inequitable participation contributes to a hierarchy between racialized and elite bilingualism, creating challenges for schools and school leaders.

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