Penn’s Graduate School of Education announced that it received a $1 million donation from Google to expand its program promoting the use of artificial intelligence in education on Tuesday.
The program — which is named Pioneering Artificial Intelligence in School Systems, or “PASS,” — was launched in January 2025 as a professional development initiative aimed at helping school systems understand and adapt to AI technology. With the recent donation, Penn GSE will expand PASS to five school districts across Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.
Penn GSE Vice Dean of Innovative Programs and Partnerships Michael Golden wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the school is “delighted that Google.org has recognized both the need for this work and the success of our pilot.”
Google.org — the company’s philanthropic arm — connects nonprofits across the world with the technology, resources, and funding of Google.
Golden added that the company’s “generous support” will allow GSE to expand the PASS program “across the tri-state region, reaching even more schools and helping educators lead the way in using AI for student success and public good.”
By providing resources to district administrators, school leaders, and educators, PASS seeks to develop AI expertise within the education system at all levels. The three-tiered system is also designed to propagate both the effective and responsible use of AI in schools.
PASS was trialed in the School District of Philadelphia, during which a select number of schools participated in the pilot version of the program. Supported by Catalyst @ Penn — an innovation hub at GSE — and the Marrazzo Family Foundation, the PASS program officially began operating within Philadelphia schools in March.
Golden wrote that it was "important to the school to pilot work right here in Philadelphia—partnering with local educators and district leaders to explore how AI can responsibly and equitably support teaching and learning.”
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According to a Penn GSE press release, the program received “overwhelmingly positive” feedback from educators, school administrators, and district leaders alike. The expanded program will launch in December 2025 and will be offered to participating schools and districts free of charge.
The press release also emphasized that PASS — which was described as a “scalable” model — could offer a national framework for the application of AI in schools.
The expanded PASS program is the latest of Penn’s AI-focused efforts.
At the start of the 2024-25 academic year, Penn became the first Ivy League to offer an AI-based undergraduate program. The Raj and Neera Signh Program in AI — offered by Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences — includes courses in machine learning and cognitive science, among with many other fields of study.
Faculty members at Penn have also grappled with the increasing prevalence of AI on campus.
The DP previously reported that the onset of AI has led to major changes across faculty grading, teaching, and curriculum development. Other faculty members also expressed concerns about AI-based plagiarism while noting that there is no foolproof way to identify such cases.
Penn’s own AI usage policy was first announced in 2023, officially integrating the use of generative artificial intelligence into the school’s curriculum.
