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Penn Graduate School of Education

The Collaboratory for Teaching and Teacher Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education

Col[lab]oratory Events

    Panel Discussion: Should teachers share their political views in the classroom? (March 26, 2025)

    Co-sponsored by Penn Libraries and the Collaboratory for Teaching and Teacher Education, this panel includes a discussion among leading educational scholars and practitioners whose work focuses on democracy, politics, and discussing challenging topics in K-12 classrooms. Panelists include: Diana Hess, Andrea Kane, Art Worrell, and Wayne Journell, and the moderator is Sigal Ben-Porath. The panel is part of a series of events being held at Penn Libraries.

    Research Talk: Dr. Julie Jackson Cohen (February 28, 2025)

    Cosponsored by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) Predoctoral Training Program at the University of Pennsylvania, the Collaboratory is hosting Dr. Julie Jackson Cohen, Charles S. Robb Associate Professor of Education at the University of Virginia's School of Education and Human Development. Dr. Cohen's work focuses on conceptualizing and measuring teaching quality, investigating how accountability and teacher evaluation systems shape instruction, and the development of effective learning opportunities and pedagogies in teacher education. The goal of Collaboratory Research Talks is to spark dialogue around topics and issues at the heart of the center's mission.

    Future Directions for the Teaching Profession: Designing the Career Pathways for Tomorrow Convening (January 2025)

    The Collaboratory is bringing together a diverse set of education stakeholders in the US for a two-day convening in Palo Alto, California. The focus of this convening is to workshop ideas on how to address the complex and dynamic challenges facing the teaching profession. This event is part of a series of convenings funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

    Convening: Strengthening Pathways into the Teaching Profession: Balancing Access and Quality (August 2024)

    The Collaboratory brought together a group of teacher educators, policymakers, foundation and nonprofit leaders, and researchers from across the country for a two-day convening in Philadelphia. The focus of the meeting was on identifying policies and practices in teacher education that help teacher education programs balance quality, affordability, and access. This event is part of a series of convenings funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

    Research Talk: Dr. Michael Hines (April 2024)

    The Collaboratory hosted Dr. Michael Hines, Assistant Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education, for a virtual talk on his 2023 book, A Worthy Piece of Work: The Untold Story of Madeline Morgan and the Fight for Black History in Schools. The book chronicles the story of Madeline Morgan, the activist educator who brought Black history to one of the nation’s largest and most segregated systems. The goal of Collaboratory Research Talks is to spark dialogue around topics and issues at the heart of the center's mission.

    Symposium: Teachers as Learners (April 2024)

    This symposium brought together educational researchers from across the country to think across research projects that have a common focus: supporting teacher learning about facilitating student-centered discussions. Participants came together to collectively develop conceptual clarity around a variety of different topics, including context and design principles for teacher professional development; perspectives on the benefits to teachers of professional learning opportunities; and, conceptualizations of how teacher learning occurs, what it constitutes, and how it can be observed.

    Research Talk: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Students, Educators, and Families in Classrooms and School Communities (Spring 2024)

    The Collaboratory co-hosted an event for educators with Need in Deed, a Philadelphia based non-profit that partners with teachers and students to connect classrooms to civic action in communities. Penn faculty Dr. Ed Brockenbrough and Penn GSE doctoral student Tiferet Ani were speakers at the event, which focused on how to support LGBTQIA+ students, educators, and families within classrooms and school communities.

    Conference: Elevating the Teaching Profession: A National Conversation on the Future of Teaching (March 2024)

    Cosponsored with Johns Hopkins University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Collaboratory convened a group of teacher educators, policymakers, foundation and nonprofit leaders, and researchers from across the country in Washington, D.C. for a two-day event. The focus of the conference was on understanding the challenges faced by the K-12 teaching profession today, and identifying potential solutions in policy and practice. This event was part of a series of convenings funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

    Research Talk: Dr. Matthew Kraft (March 2024)

    Cosponsored with the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) Predoctoral Training Program at the University of Pennsylvania, the Collaboratory hosted Dr. Matthew Kraft, Associate Professor of Education at Brown University. Dr. Kraft’s primary work focuses on efforts to improve educator and organizational effectiveness in urban public schools. The goal of Collaboratory Research Talks is to spark dialogue around topics and issues at the heart of the center's mission.

    Research Talk: Dr. Heather Hill (December 2023)

    Cosponsored with the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) Predoctoral Training Program at the University of Pennsylvania, the Collaboratory hosted Dr. Heather Hill, Hazen-Nicoli Professor in Teacher Learning and Practice at Harvard University. Dr. Hill studies policies and programs designed to improve teacher and teaching quality. The goal of Collaboratory Research Talks is to spark dialogue around topics and issues at the heart of the center's mission.

    Conference: Research Designs and Measurement for Teacher Education (December 2023)

    Cosponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Boston University, the Collaboratory gathered researchers and teacher educators who have been investigating ways to complement existing methods for studying teacher preparation practices with experimental and quasi-experimental research designs as well as new measurement approaches. This conference explored and built on:

    • Research designs in teacher education
    • Novel approaches for measuring instruction and pre-service teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and mindsets
    • In-progress studies stemming from previous gatherings
    • New tools in the field

    Social Justice Practices: A Virtual Panel of Philadelphia Educators (Spring 2022)

    Panelists: Zoë Ehrenberg, Abigail Henry, Charlie McGeehan, Kristian Ogungbemi

    Research Talk: Dr. Camika Royal, Scholars of Color Seminar Series (Spring 2022)

    Since 2008, select scholars of color have been invited to Penn GSE to give lectures and share their research with faculty and students as part of our Visiting Faculty Scholars of Color series. The Collaboratory co-sponsored this event, which featured Dr. Camika Royal, Associate Professor at Loyola University Maryland and an urban education expert with more than 20 years of experience. Her work focuses on the intersections of race, politics, history, and urban school reform.

    Conversations on Teacher Education in Response to Today’s Demands (Spring 2021)

    • Addressing issues of identity, racial injustice and social inequity in the current political climate: The role of teacher education with Panelists: Teddi Beam-Conroy, Ed Brockenbrough, and Hosun Kang
    • How has preparing teachers online shifted teacher educators’ priorities and practices? with Panelists: Evrim Baran, Remi Kalir, and Jennifer Wolfe

    Collaboratory Research Exchanges (2021–present, every semester)

    Every academic year (starting in the Spring 2021 semester), the Collaboratory hosts a Fall and Spring Research Exchange for the teacher education community at Penn GSE. During each virtual gathering, members of the Penn GSE community have the chance to workshop new and ongoing research projects related to teaching and teacher education. The aim is to nurture a scholarly community of faculty, students, and teacher education program leaders.

    Conversations on Virtual Education, Well-being and Equity during the Current Health Crisis (Spring 2020)

    • Fostering Student Engagement in Online Classes with Panelists: Betty Chandy, Michael Flynn, and Megan Kelley-Petersen [Watch video]
    • Sustaining Our Own and Prospective: Teachers' Mental Health and Well-Being with Panelists: Grace Song, Jeanne Felter, and Xavier Brown [Watch video]
    • Supporting Prospective Teachers to Engage Learners During School Closures with Panelists: Patrick Sexton, Tanya Maloney, and John Pascarella III [Watch video]
    • Addressing Issues of Educational Equity During the Current Health Crisis with Panelists: Khalilah Harris, ShaVon Savage, and Gerald Campano [Watch video]

    Workshop Series: Practice-Based Approaches to Teacher Education (Spring 2019)

    • Introduction to Practice-Based Teacher Education, facilitated by Pam Grossman [Watch video]
    • Methods Courses as Places to Practice, facilitated by Caroline Ebby and Janine Remillard [Watch video]
    • Using Video to Expand Possibilities for Teacher Learning, facilitated by Pam Grossman and Sarah Kavanagh [Watch video]
    • Using the Field to Work on Practice, facilitated by Abby Reisman and Sarah Kavanagh [Watch video]