Letter from the Dean

At Penn GSE, we often talk about education as a collective effort: one that requires not just great teachers, but strong systems of care, deep partnerships, and visionary leadership. In this issue, we highlight two communities whose work embodies this spirit: school counselors and our Philadelphia school partners.

School counselors support academic choices, nurture social and emotional well-being, and are often the first to notice when a student is struggling. They are the steady presence connecting homes, classrooms, and communities. They help young people make sense of their world and imagine futures they may not otherwise see for themselves. Yet far too many students go without this essential support. Nearly one in five attends a school without access to a counselor, even as the youth mental health crisis grows more urgent each year. In 2023, the CDC announced that 40 percent of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, up from 30 percent a decade earlier.

Penn GSE is preparing and supporting school counselors to answer this need. Interest in our programs is so strong that we were able to nearly double the 2026 incoming class of our Professional Counseling, M.Phil.Ed. program. I am inspired by the generations of counselors who have come through our doors, and I hope you will read about the impact of their work on page 16.

This issue also highlights our School’s deep and growing partnerships with Philadelphia schools. Some of these relationships span decades. Yet in the past three years, we have accelerated these efforts, responding directly to district-identified needs: co-designing professional development, expanding access to innovative learning pathways, and addressing school communities’ most pressing challenges together. This is a partnership built on trust, shared purpose, and a conviction that the people closest to students know what those students need.

Taken together, these stories remind us that the most powerful work in education is rarely accomplished alone. It takes networks of people who believe in the potential of every learner, institutions willing to listen and adapt, and the steady, daily commitment of educators—counselors, teachers, paraprofessionals, and school leaders—who make sure students feel seen and supported. This work belongs to all of us.

All best,