In the 21st century, all educators—from elementary school teachers to college professors—are called to do more than teach.
An A+ Partnership
A new gift from the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation creates a pioneering center for educational leadership at Penn GSE
Fall/Winter 2022
They are on the front lines of confronting issues of poverty, trauma, public health, and so much more. The COVID-19 pandemic is just one recent example of a situation that demanded shifts in the fundamental tenets of education. In 2020, the profession changed for every level of teacher. Bustling elementary school classrooms became crowded Zoom screens, high school teachers abandoned their blackboards for PowerPoint presentations, college instructors recorded lectures from empty auditoriums, and businesses rushed to move training programs online. Teachers weren’t just teaching—they were monitoring the health of their students, making sure their lessons were accessible regardless of a student’s means, and providing a support system for students under tremendous stress.
Recent years have shown that education demands leaders who are able to respond to rapidly changing circumstances and navigate the societal challenges that their students face. A new $16.25 million gift from the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation to Penn’s Graduate School of Education is helping ensure that future leaders are prepared for the challenges ahead of them in a society that needs their innovative talents.
Penn GSE’s leadership programs have propelled the careers of principals, superintendents, university presidents, and chief corporate learning officers.
This gift, which represents the largest infusion of support in Penn GSE’s history, will create new opportunities for leaders to shape the future of education by sharing their experience and expertise. The next great ideas may come from elementary school classrooms, corporate learning departments, or anywhere else in education, which is why the Foundation has pledged $10 million to establish and endow the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership at Penn GSE. This new center will help create the most forward-thinking leaders in education by allowing students from GSE’s acclaimed leadership programs to collaborate and innovate across disciplines. The School has long been the launching pad for university presidents, superintendents, principals, and chief learning officers at S&P 500 companies. The McGraw Center will enable students to share their experiences and see how new ideas from elementary school, high school, higher education, and the corporate world can apply to their own specialties.
The Center represents the vibrant growth of a productive partnership between GSE and the McGraw family. In addition to the physical space for the Center, the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation’s support will create the McGraw Leadership in Education Speaker Series and new programming for students across GSE’s leadership programs.
The McGraw family is also committed to deepening the relationship between the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize and Penn, which is why $6.25 million of their new commitment will go toward extending GSE’s partnership with the Prize. The McGraw Prize in Education, which has been located at Penn GSE for the last three years, was created in 1988 by McGraw Hill to honor its Chairman and CEO, Harold W. McGraw, Jr. It is widely considered the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for education, and it recognizes people who are propelling the ever-changing field of education forward—people like Alberto Carvahlo, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District; Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America; David Levin, the co-founder of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP); and Anant Agarwal, the CEO and co-founder of edX.
Our father spent his life advancing education and literacy. He wanted the Prize to spotlight outstanding and innovative educators and to create a platform for promoting best practices to the widest possible audience.”Harold W. (Terry) McGraw III, WG’76
As president of McGraw Hill, one of the largest publishers of textbooks in the country, the late Harold W. McGraw, Jr., was deeply invested in the value of education. His life’s work was built on it—the textbook itself was a huge step in the history of education. He firmly believed that the people creating the next big advances in the field should be celebrated.
McGraw believed educators should be recognized for their impact in the classroom and beyond. His father, James H. McGraw, was a schoolteacher in upstate New York before he founded McGraw Hill in 1888. It is one of the largest educational publishers in the world.
At the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership, students will work collaboratively with their peers to develop innovative ideas for the field.
“The McGraw Center for Educational Leadership will bring together the expertise of Penn GSE faculty with the innovative spirit of McGraw Prize winners to create a space where the future leaders of education can reimagine how best to support learning around the globe,” says Pam Grossman, Dean of the Graduate School of Education.
From textbooks to online learning to technologies that haven’t even been invented, education continues to move into new frontiers, with new ideas blossoming in every part of the field. In partnership with the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation, Penn GSE is preparing creative and visionary leaders who will make a profound and lasting impact on the future of education worldwide.
Watch a video about the storied McGraw Prize in Education, which is housed at Penn GSE.
