Book bans continue to raise important questions about access, representation, and intellectual freedom in education. As we wrap up #BannedBooksWeek, revisit advice shared by HGSE faculty on understanding and responding to book bans: https://bit.ly/4jONt1S

Navigating Book Bans

A guide for educators as efforts intensify to censor books

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Senior Lecturer Jennifer Cheatham, founder of the Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader (ISCL), moderated a conversation with ISCL fellows that explored the skills, civic leadership, and community partnerships needed to lead public schools through change. Watch here: https://bit.ly/4yfmkcb

The Evolving Role of ‘The Modern Superintendent'

HGSE celebrates its new Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader and three senior fellows at the Askwith Education Forum

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HGSE’s Nadine Gaab studies how brain development in early childhood can reveal a child’s risk for learning disabilities — sometimes as early as 18 months. Her research aims to identify children early so they can receive support and grow into happy, healthy, joyful learners. @gaablab.bsky.social

Tomorrow (10/6) at 4:30 PM ET, be sure to join @harvardeducation.bsky.social and HEP author Jennifer Perry Cheatham for an Askwith Education Forum titled, "The Modern Superintendent: School and Civic Leader." This free event can be attended in-person or virtually! Register: https://bit.ly/4AQoNML

We’re at the Teach For America Summit this weekend, connecting with educators and leaders committed to transforming education. As we gather with the TFA community, we’re also highlighting the connection between public service and education leadership at HGSE.

For online master’s students and faculty alike, one word captured their weekend on campus: “amazing.” Students from HGSE’s online master’s IEPM pathway — which represents over 30 countries — showed how community can grow across screens, time zones, and distance. Read more: https://bit.ly/4z4YpNp

What does it mean to lead a school system as a democratic institution? Join the Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader (ISCL) to explore how superintendents can build trust, navigate conflict, and advance equity through educational leadership. Learn more: https://hgse.me/askwith100626A

A new 4+1 Collaboration between HGSE and Hamilton College creates a pathway for Hamilton students to pursue a master’s degree at HGSE following their undergraduate studies. Learn more: bit.ly/4rnRo7H

Grateful to continue expanding #AILiteracy in schools thanks to generous support from Bukhman Philanthropies. New questions, same heartbeat: listening to educators and young people 💜 www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/2... #youthvoice #techandteens #youthresearch

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, HGSE is working with schools, students, and communities to advance civic education, expand meaningful participation, and foster informed dialogue that can strengthen democracy into the future. Learn more: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/civics-250

Civics @ 250

As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, HGSE is partnering with schools and communities to strengthen civic education and democratic dialogue.

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HGSE is excited to announce the 2026 Education Entrepreneurship Summer Fellows. Congratulations to Livia Fares, Ed.M.’26, Daril Ndodjang, Ed.M.’26, and Purva Pawani, Ed.M.’26., and Ph.D. student Krista Galleberg. Read more about the fellows and their impact in the field: https://bit.ly/4xvhWFE

HGSE Selects 2026 Education Entrepreneurship Summer Fellows

Four fellows were selected by a committee of HGSE faculty and administrators this summer

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The Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader (ISCL) at HGSE is an effort to support superintendents as civic leaders as they steward the future of public education with imagination, democratic purpose, and political skill. Learn more: https://hgse.me/iscl

The Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader Launches at HGSE

The new initiative will strengthen superintendents’ civic leadership through executive learning, research-based tools, and field-building partnerships aimed at advancing the future of public education

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As Boston Teachers Union’s inaugural director of professional learning, Paul Tritter, Ed.M.’12, sought educators’ input firsthand. Their desire to connect and share practices with peers across schools inspired the Telescope Network, a peer-led community for educators. https://bit.ly/46AS1B4

When Educators Lead, Their Professional Development Works Better

By centering teacher expertise and collaboration, the HGSE alums leading Boston’s Telescope Network are proving that peer-led PD can be relevant, rigorous, and effective

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Harvard's Data Wise helps educators make sense of that evidence so they can improve teaching, advance equity, and strengthen collaboration. And with hundreds of certified coaches, schools are getting more support to put the Data Wise framework into practice. https://bit.ly/4hBqUNa

A Common Language for Improvement

Now in its third decade, the Data Wise Project is innovating to help schools use evidence to improve learning, address inequities, and strengthen collaboration

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Transformation starts with community. Harvard’s Deeper Learning Alliance is bringing together school leaders from around the world who are redesigning schools grounded in purpose, joy, and connection. Read more about the initiative: https://bit.ly/45jJRwy

To Redesign Schools, You Need Community

New Deeper Learning Alliance helps educators problem-solve, not with another set of materials, but with like-minded educators

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In this episode of UK Live, Assistant Professor Phil Capin and reading coach Margaret Goldberg, co-founder of The Right to Read Project, share practical ways educators can apply research to strengthen students’ literacy and language skills. Watch the full episode: https://bit.ly/4bWPHHO

Connecting Research with Classroom Realities

The seventh episode of the Literacy Insights series explores how to implement evidence-based literacy practices in school

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Congratulations to Elizabeth Bonawitz on her promotion to Professor of Education! A leading developmental cognitive scientist and psychologist, Bonawitz explores the complex ways students learn. Read more about her work and impact at HGSE: https://bit.ly/3TZdmRG

Elizabeth Bonawitz Named Professor of Education

Bonawitz, a developmental cognitive scientist, joined the Ed School in 2020

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Reading comprehension isn’t a single skill. In this episode of UK Live, HGSE’s Phil Capin and James Kim unpack the many skills that support reading comprehension and what it takes to help students move from decoding words to truly understanding text. Watch the full episode: https://bit.ly/4bETcT4

Science of Reading Comprehension

The sixth episode in the Literary Insights series focused on what matters most in developing reading comprehension

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Congratulations to recent graduate Nana Nyarko, Ed.M.’26, who has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award. Nyarko will spend the upcoming academic year in Belgium as an English teaching assistant, working with local teachers and leading community projects. Read more: https://bit.ly/4y2IteP

HGSE Announces Fulbright U.S. Student Award

Nana Nyarko, Ed.M.'26, to serve as Fulbright English teaching assistant in Belgium

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Summer invites kids to learn in new, playful ways — but coming up with fresh ideas can be challenging. Project Zero’s Jen Ryan shares simple ways parents and caregivers can keep kids curious, engaged, and entertained this summer. Read more: bit.ly/4d7ieJ7

Playful Summer Learning

Five ideas to promote joyful learning experiences when school’s out

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HGSE is excited to welcome Joanne Berger-Sweeney, former president of Trinity College, and Ellen Kennedy, former president of Berkshire Community College, as its 2026–27 Judith Block McLaughlin Presidents-in-Residence. Read more about the presidents and their impact: https://bit.ly/4f4gfZS

Literacy starts with conversation. In this episode of UK Live, HGSE’s Phil Capin and Meredith Rowe discuss how families can build children’s language and literacy skills through thoughtful conversations, shared routines, and engaging reading. Watch the full episode here: https://bit.ly/4aTckwh

Practical Insights for Families on Supporting Language and Literacy

The fifth episode of our Literary Insights series focuses on building vocabulary and learning routines

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Commencement marshal Jeannette Garcia Coppersmith researches how teachers’ expectations and biases can affect which students access complex, ambitious math — and how expanding access helps more students see themselves as “math people.” https://bit.ly/4peVe1S

Raising the Ambition of Math Students and Teachers

Ph.D. candidate Jeannette Garcia Coppersmith’s research focuses on inherent bias, and what happens when teachers let students endure the “productive struggle” of learning ambitious mathematics

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The Black Teacher Archive (BTA) has launched its redesigned website featuring an updated Black education timeline and an expanded digital collection of materials from Colored Teachers Associations nationwide. Dive deeper into the project’s growth, impact, and vision: https://bit.ly/44MaFVI

Black Teacher Archive Launches Revamped Website

The BTA 2.0 website features new exhibits, curated features, and resources for teachers and researchers

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How did U.S. education become what it is today? Chosen by our Gutman Library staff from their collections, these 10 books trace the history of education in America. Read more 📚: https://bit.ly/4gpsjpt

10 Books That Help Tell the Story of Education in America

A curated look at books from the Gutman Library collection here at the Ed School, chosen and explained by the library staff

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Harvard's Danielle Allen offers a powerful framework to help young people wrestle with democracy, ask hard questions, and see citizenship in a new light — with their heads, hearts, and hands. Read more: https://bit.ly/4vx1BQl

How Can We Talk to Kids About Patriotism?

A conversation with Declaration of Independence expert Danielle Allen

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Doctoral marshal Santiago Pulido-Gómez, Ed.M.’22, Ph.D.’26, experienced the very thing he studied: the power of culture and community. Read more: https://bit.ly/4v3IEny

The Powerful Role School Culture Plays in Teacher Professional Development

With his research, doctoral marshal Santiago Pulido-Gómez, Ed.M.’22, Ph.D.'26, studies the environments that best support growth

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In this episode of UK Live, HGSE’s Phil Capin and Ying Xu discuss how educators and families can foster strong reading skills by selecting technology that supports focus, rich conversations, and deep engagement with text. Watch the full episode here: https://bit.ly/4oU05pe

Raising a Reader in the Digital Age

In the fourth episode of the Literary Insights series, scholars debate the benefits and pitfalls of AI use when reading

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In her new book, "Laboring in the Shadows: Precarity and Promise in Black Youth Work," Associate Professor Bianca Baldridge examines the essential yet often invisible labor of Black youth workers, and how they create joy, possibility, and “freedom dreaming." Read more here: https://bit.ly/4tFGL03

As national reading scores decline, Mississippi stands out. But can its approach be replicated in other states? In this episode of the Harvard EdCast, ExcelinEd’s Kymyona Burk shares the “biggest levers” for literacy reform. 🎧 Listen here: https://bit.ly/4m59n04

What Mississippi Got Right About Reading

Mississippi's reading gains stand out nationally -- but what would it really take for other states to replicate its success?

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