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Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2023–2024

Contents

Letter From the Dean
Year in Review
The Penn GSE
Benchmark Society
Meet Sharee DeVose
Together for Good
Honor Roll of Donors
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Letter from the dean

D

ear Alumni, Friends, and Supporters,

You don’t need me to tell you what a special place Penn GSE is—it’s clear in each of our programs, in every one of our students, and in all that we do. Even a year and a half in to my tenure as dean, I still marvel at the strength of the Penn GSE community and am touched by the shared commitment of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni to improving outcomes for learners across the lifespan. I am especially inspired by and grateful for the dedication of our supporters like you, who consistently invest in and support Penn GSE. Thank you for all that you do for Penn GSE and the future of education.

This fall has been especially exciting, as we celebrated the launch of our new strategic vision, Together for Good: A Vision for Transformational Impact. Together for Good is our collective vision, born from conversations I’ve had with hundreds of Penn GSE’s community members over the past year and a half. With four strategic priorities focused on the educator workforce, local and global partnerships, innovation in education, and strengthening our democracy, we are positioning Penn GSE to not only meet the moment in education, but to make it. Please read on in this report to learn more about Together for Good, or read the full version here. Over the next few months, I’ll be visiting cities all over the country to share Penn GSE’s strategic vision with alumni and friends like you; I’d love for you to join us. Stay tuned for more information on these upcoming events.

On behalf of everyone at Penn GSE, thank you again for your support. Your investment is helping us not only imagine a brighter, more equitable, and resilient future for education, but your support and collaboration ensures we can make that future a reality. Each gift made to Penn GSE, no matter the size, helps propel Together for Good, furthering the positive impact we can have on society. I hope you will continue to be a part of this crucial work with us.

All best,

Katharine Strunk signature
Katharine Strunk
Dean, Penn Graduate School of Education
George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education
shield Year in Review

A Year in Review at Penn GSE

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Nearly 500 gifts made from Penn alumni

  • $13,98,583
    Total receipts
  • $6,271,357
    Total commitments
  • 1,427
    Total donors to GSE
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Penn GSE Annual Fund

  • 896
    Total number of donors to GSE Annual Fund
  • $265,269
    Total gifts to GSE Annual Fund
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Benjamin Franklin Society

The Benjamin Franklin Society (BFS) is Penn’s prestigious leadership giving society. Donors who are BFS members give $2,500 or more to annual giving funds across the University in a given fiscal year. Penn GSE alumni who graduated within the past 14 years can join the BFS as an associate at a reduced members level.
  • 160
    Total number of BFS members
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Benchmark Society

The Penn GSE Benchmark Society celebrates and recognizes the most loyal annual fund donors at Penn GSE. Donors who have given to the Penn GSE annual fund for three or more consecutive years are Benchmark Society members.
  • 406
    Total number of Benchmark members
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GSE Castetter Legacy Circle

The Penn GSE Castetter Legacy Circle recognizes the generosity and foresight of our alumni and friends who have included the Graduate School of Education in their estate plans.
  • 57
    Total number of Castetter Legacy Circle members
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shieldThe Penn GSE Benchmark Society

The Penn GSE Benchmark Society

Penn GSE’s Benchmark Society members, all of whom have given three or more consecutive years to the Penn GSE Annual Fund, set the bar for consistent giving and affirm the aspirations of our current students.
Marie Brown headshot
I am committed to giving to Penn because I want to ensure others have access to an affordable education at one of the best graduate schools in the world, the same way I did. I could not have attended without the financial support of donors to GSE, and earning my master’s degree in Higher Education Management at Penn was a game changer for me. Twenty years into a very successful career as a college administrator, I am so grateful for the foundation my Penn education gave me, and it’s an honor to say thanks by supporting GSE every year.”
Marie Brown, GED’05
Ginny Davis headshot
As an alumna of three Penn schools—DH’80, CGS’98, and GED’06, and a proud Penn parent, I support Penn GSE to honor my family’s continuing legacy of serving as educators in Pennsylvania elementary, secondary, and post-secondary school settings.”
Ginny Davis, DH’80, CGS’98, GED’06, LPS’12
Laura Steinbach headshot
The gift I give to Penn GSE each year is the annual gift I am most proud of. With it, I express my profound gratitude for the most (unexpectedly) transformative and beautiful learning experience of my life. Now, as an independent school head, I am determined every single day to help the students and the faculty here feel as engaged and inspired as I was at GSE.”
Laura Steinbach, GED’92
Morgan Polikoff headshot
Though I transferred in part way through my PhD, Penn GSE welcomed me with open arms. I got outstanding training in all aspects of academic life at GSE, which let me hit the ground running when I got my own faculty position. I credit much of my success to the skills and relationships I developed at GSE.”
Morgan Polikoff, GR’10
Holden T. Waterman headshot
Ever since enrolling at Penn GSE I have been impressed; both with the quality of my experience, and the flexibility of the program, which offered me the opportunity to take classes in different schools of the university. Also, I have been inspired by Penn GSE’s leadership over the years. All these assets are why I have been committed to donating to Penn GSE annually.”
Holden T. Waterman, GRD’85
Penn GSE helped me follow a path less traveled. In return, I made a small but lasting commitment so that others would have the opportunity to forge their own way, too.”
Sophia Li, W’02, GED’03
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shieldMeet Sharee DeVose

Donors to Penn GSE’s annual fund and scholarship funds make life-changing opportunities possible for students of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences.

Sharee DeVose smiling in front of rail overseeing water
To the entire giving community, thank you.
It is with a heart of gratitude that I write this letter. And in doing so, it causes me to look back to my first notice of admission to the Graduate School of Education’s M.S.Ed. program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). In those initial moments of celebration, my joy was not simply because I had strongly hoped to gain admission and was granted it. But a wave of relief also passed over me to receive notice of significant scholarship and grant aid that proved, yes, continuing my teacher education at this reputable institution was possible.

As an early career professional with experience teaching English in various contexts and in coordinating grassroots, nonprofit programming for families in Philadelphia, I decided to pursue a master’s in TESOL at GSE with the intent to bridge my deeply held love for both. Through coursework emphasizing theories of second language development, language diversity, and curriculum design together with practicum teaching experiences, I would be able to build a stronger pedagogical foundation as well as develop the competencies and the network needed to later institute learner-centered, community-based programming for English language learners in our city.

Your support has eased the financial burden for graduate students like me, who seek further personal and professional growth but whose economic backgrounds often pose barriers to such opportunities. Rather than harboring constant worry over finances, I have been able to direct energy and focus onto what is most important: fully engaging in coursework and fieldwork that better prepare me to meet the communicative needs of English language learners striving to navigate life, build community, and thrive in the city of Philadelphia.

Today, as I move closer to completing my master’s in education and to the next step on my career path, what I am certain of is that your investment in my education has not only contributed to my academic and professional growth, but it also enriches the experiences of the students I serve today and will continue to serve in the future.

Again, thank you.

Sharee DeVose
M.S.Ed. Student
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
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Together for Good: A Vision for Transformational Impact

As we look ahead to 2025, Penn GSE’s strategic vision, Together for Good, will frame the vital work that we will undertake in the years ahead.
Our vision and plan are built on deep collaboration—not only with educators, but also with policymakers, industry leaders, philanthropists, and communities around the world. And it draws on the distinctive research and programmatic strengths that have long distinguished Penn GSE as a premier school of education. Together with our partners, Penn GSE is shaping the future for education that uplifts every learner and transforms society for good.

Our vision embraces four strategic priorities that build on Penn GSE’s strengths spanning rigorous scholarship, high-quality instruction, innovative practice, and enduring community partnerships. Read more about each priority here or watch the video below.

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Priority #1

Prepare and sustain a diverse, highly skilled education workforce from preschool through postsecondary education.
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Priority #2

Collaborate with local, national, and global communities on programs and scholarship for the public good.
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Priority #3

Innovate by bridging theory and practice to conduct educational research with consequence.
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Priority #4

Elevate education’s role within democratic society.
read the full vision

Watch to learn more about Together for Good.

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4 women smiling for group photo
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Honor Roll of Donors

This section recognizes donors who have made outright gifts, pledges, and/or pledge payments to the Graduate School of Education in the amount of $100 or more in the 2024 fiscal year: July 1, 2023- June 30, 2024.

Honor Roll of Donors

Benchmark Society *
Ben Franklin Society (BFS) +
Castetter Circle ^

Corporate and Foundation Donors

Board of Advisors

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Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2023–2024

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