Penn’s Graduate School of Education has continued its collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia to connect academic research with classroom practice.
The partnership — discussed on Oct. 27 by GSE Dean Katharine Strunk, Temple University Dean of Education Monika Williams Shealey, and Superintendent Tony Watlington at a national education leadership summit — reflects the school’s role within Philadelphia’s broader education system. In a written statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Strunk characterized the effort as “research with consequence,” emphasizing that universities must not only produce knowledge but improve the lives of others.
“At the heart of Penn GSE, our mission is to improve outcomes for learners from preschool through higher education,” Strunk wrote. “You cannot do that without working in close partnership with school districts, institutions of higher education, and other education organizations.”
She added that while universities often assume they have “better ideas” than local educators, “our communities are better equipped to identify which problems are most dire, and what kinds of supports, whether new evidence or specific resources, are most needed to address them.”
Strunk wrote these collaborations are particularly important now because “the need is so great in our local public schools, which are substantially underfunded and undervalued.” On the other hand, according to Strunk, the public is also “questioning the value of institutions of higher education.”
She emphasized that partnerships like Penn’s with the School District of Philadelphia allow universities to demonstrate their value by turning academic research into practical support for teachers and students.
“There are research partnerships in which district leaders and university researchers co-construct research agendas to answer the most pressing questions facing the district,” Strunk wrote. “These research-practice partnerships give researchers an opportunity to embark on impactful research that not only advances knowledge but addresses real-world problems.”
Penn GSE’s collaboration with the Philadelphia community has expanded in recent years through initiatives such as the Pioneering AI in School Systems program and the Algebra 1 Fellowship.
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The PASS program, developed with Catalyst @ Penn GSE and funded by the Marrazzo Family Foundation, equips educators to use artificial intelligence ethically and effectively. On Tuesday, GSE announced it received a $1 million donation from Google to expand the initiative across more school districts.
The Algebra 1 Fellowship provides 300 district teachers with stipends and year-long professional development training to strengthen math instruction.
“We are addressing research needs around the district’s teacher workforce, requested specifically by the superintendent,” Strunk wrote to the DP. “We are providing professional development in Algebra 1 to every Algebra 1 teacher in the district. And this is just the beginning.”
Strunk also pointed to Penn GSE’s efforts to make teaching and leadership skills more accessible to Philadelphia educators.
“We are working as hard as we can to make teacher and leader preparation as affordable as possible to those who want to teach and lead in SDP,” she wrote. “This year, we offered more financial aid to these students than ever before and steeply discounted professional development opportunities for SDP educators and leaders.”
According to Strunk, these efforts align with Penn GSE’s decade-long strategic vision, titled “Together for Good,” which commits to collaborating with local, national, and global communities.
Strunk wrote that the document’s principles help guide how the school approaches each partnership.
“This means embarking on … authentic collaborations that are targeted towards meeting the needs identified by our public sector partners,” she added.
Strunk described a similar form of collaboration during the Oct. 27 summit.
“Developing strong partnerships is person-dependent,” Strunk said at the Florida event. “It’s hard work, and it takes time to build trust and repair past areas that may be lacking in trust.”
During the event, Watlington also praised this approach, emphasizing that his team ensures they are not just asking what universities can do for them. Strunk echoed that the district-university relationship must be mutually beneficial and sustained by continuous dialogue.
“At Penn GSE, we understand that we are not only of and for Philadelphia, but we are also tremendously fortunate to be able to learn from and with our stellar colleagues across the city,” she wrote to the DP. “The work we do, and will continue to do, fosters this collaboration for mutual growth and benefit.”
