Penn celebrated the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia’s 20th anniversary on Tuesday.
The organization, co-founded by Political Science professor Rogers Smith, has worked with faculty at the University for two decades and provides local teachers with university-level resources to improve classroom outcomes. Teachers across the School District of Philadelphia can enroll in a free fellowship program and participate in expert-led seminars.
An Oct. 27 anniversary celebration hosted at the Inn at Penn featured speeches from School of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Trodden and Graduate School of Education Dean Katharine Strunk.
According to a press release, Trodden highlighted the the role Penn professors have played “in sharing cutting-edge knowledge with teachers” across Philadelphia.
Philosophy and Education professor Karen Detlefsen is one of four Penn affiliates teaching a fall 2026 workshop for the institute.
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She wrote in a statement that participating in the organization was “one of the highlights” of her time at Penn, adding that participants create “innovative” lesson plans and curricula that “provide exceptional learning opportunities.”
Her course — titled “Dialogue and Disagreement: Discussing Hard Questions” — focuses on how teachers can approach difficult topics and facilitate “productive discussion and disagreements.”
According to Detlefsen, the institute “cultivates a meaningful and mutually beneficial partnership between the Philadelphia School District and Penn.”
The organization is affiliated with the Yale National Initiative, which aims to strengthen public education across the country through a network of teaching hubs. The Philadelphia-based initiative selects cohorts of public school teachers to participate in free expert-led seminars and workshops — which culminates with each producing an original curriculum unit.
Teachers who complete the program are awarded a stipend and Act 48 professional development credits — which are required for Pennsylvania educators.
Annenberg School postdoctoral fellow Cristina Monzer and Weitzman School of Design professors Elizabeth Delmelle and Domenic Vitiello are teaching the three other seminars this fall. Vitiello’s course is being taught in collaboration with 2018 Graduate School of Education graduate Mary Yee.
Topics include transportation history and city development, bias in artificial intelligence, and Asian American neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
Penn faculty have previously taught a variety workshops — including Classical Studies professor Emily Wilson’s “The Iliad and the Odyssey” and Perelman School of Medicine professor Michelle Johnson’s workshop on “Robots in Healthcare.”
Edward Epstein, the institute’s director, wrote in an Oct. 22 release that teachers in the program have higher levels of confidence and their students are “more motivated to learn.”
He added that program participation increases the likelihood that teachers remain in their jobs.
“At a time when teachers everywhere are experiencing burnout, the program keeps them engaged with their work and makes them feel that their intellectual abilities are appreciated,” Epstein wrote.
“TIP is one of Penn’s gems,” Detlefsen concluded.