Norman Aaron Newberg, a former associate professor and senior fellow at Penn’s Graduate School of Education (GSE), passed away peacefully on May 8. He was 87. 

The son of corner grocery store owners in the Ludlow neighborhood of Philadelphia, Dr. Newberg overcame a reading disability and became the first member of his family to attend college. He received a BA (1956) and an MA (1961) in speech and dramatic arts, both from Temple University, then received an EdD in 1978 from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Newberg joined Penn’s faculty in 1980 as an associate professor and a director of business administration in the Graduate School of Education. In 1985, he became a lecturer at GSE, and in 1988 an adjunct professor. In 1991, his title was changed to senior fellow, a position he held until retiring from Penn in 2006. As a teacher at GSE, Dr. Newberg helped train a generation of superintendents, principals, and teachers to use novel strategies to make urban public education more effective for students, particularly those who benefit from non-mainstream approaches to pedagogy. He conducted research about education practices in public schools nationwide, writing peer-reviewed articles about his observations in Germany, Israel, and Japan. 

While at Penn, Dr. Newberg used his position to do significant good for West Philadelphia public schools. He launched the Collaborative for West Philadelphia Public Schools, a program in which over 500 Penn students tutored students in the School District of Philadelphia. In 1987, Penn alumnus and philanthropist George Weiss initiated the “Say Yes to Education” foundation, which guaranteed a college education to 112 students at the Belmont School at 41st and Brown Streets, and through his roles at GSE and the Fels Institute of Government, Dr. Newberg served as executive director of the program. “Say Yes to Education” programs have since proliferated nationwide in response to Dr. Newburg’s vision and Mr. Weiss’s generosity. In 2005, Dr. Newberg wrote a book, The Gift of Education: How a Tuition Guarantee Program Saved the Lives of Inner-City Youth, that chronicled the history of “Say Yes to Education” programs nationwide. Dr. Newberg also helped implement Affective Education, Schools for All Ages, and Bridging the Gap programs at the School District of Philadelphia.

Outside of his professional roles, Dr. Newberg was active at the Germantown Jewish Center in Philadelphia, where he was one of the founding members of the Chavurah and Reconstructionist Minyanim movements. He frequently led prayers during weekly Shabbat services, and led the Kol Nidre and Neilah services that start and conclude Yom Kippur. 

Dr. Newberg is survived by his wife, Adina; his daughter, Noga; his sons, Liam and Jeremey; his son-in-law, Andrew and daughter-in-law, Fran; as well as four grandchildren. A funeral was held on May 10. Donations in his memory can be made to Hazon (https://donate.hazon.org/give/275350/#!/donation/checkout) or YEAH Philly (https://yeahphilly.org/get-involved/#donate).