Supporting youth enrichment and well-being in West Philadelphia schools

Posted by Penn Today on October 20, 2026

Graduate student Madison McTier helps young students in local public schools improve social skills, emotional regulation, and self-advocacy through her role on the Netter Center for Community Partnerships’ school-based mental health and supportive services team.

Before pursuing a master’s degree in School and Mental Health Counseling at Penn’s Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE), Madison McTier spent five years teaching science to high school students in Philadelphia. This role shaped her interest in the systemic factors affecting how children learn and behave in school. Although she was teaching science, McTier often found herself facilitating social and emotional learning (SEL), or guiding students in emotional management and interpersonal communication.

“I really care about the structural barriers that are shaping early development,” McTier says, “especially in under-resourced communities, and how unaddressed trauma can affect kids.”

Since summer 2025, McTier has served on the Netter Center for Community Partnerships’ school-based mental health and supportive services team as part of Netter’s summer opportunities initiative, which recruits Penn students to support summer enrichment programming for youth at University-assisted community schools in West Philadelphia. Placed at the Andrew Hamilton School as an SEL associate, McTier provides tailored counseling support to students based on needs identified by school staff. She continued working at Hamilton in the 2025-26 academic year, building long-term relationships with students and faculty.

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