Published in the Philadelphia Tribune, by Wilford Shamlin III

October 9, 2014

The Philadelphia Schools Partnership recently awarded a $147,000 grant to George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science in support of adding seventh and eighth grades. The grant would serve as a feeder for the magnet school with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The existing school, at 1600 W. Norris St., will be reconfigured to accommodate 120 pupils in seventh and eighth grades.

The lion’s share of funding will go toward hiring a new teacher who would serve as STEM coordinator overseeing curriculum planning for Carver and four schools partnering on the effort: Southwark, William D. Kelley Elementary, James G. Blaine Academics Plus and Chester A. Arthur. The remaining funding will support professional development for educators attending a National Science Teachers Association conference planned this month, which is expected to provide resources in technology and curriculum.

“I am eager for the opportunity to build a team to research and develop a robust middle years STEM curriculum, as well as re-imagine what a seventh though 12th grade STEM program can look like,” said Ted Domers, Carver principal.

The school was approved for the grant funding based on school leadership, above-average scores on math and reading portions of standardized exams. Carver was among three North Philadelphia schools that received the governor’s award for academic excellence in 2013. It is also a past recipient of the national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award.

“We are excited to support plans to give more Philadelphia students an opportunity to attend this great school,” said Jessica Pena, director of the Philadelphia Schools Partnership’s Great Schools Fund.

The school’s partnership raises private funding in support of school improvement projects. It also awarded grant money in support of the school district’s recruitment for senior leadership positions.

Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute science museum, encouraged more professionals to take part in mentoring students during a recent summit on STEM hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.

“Each one, reach one, teach one. Show them the world of science,” said Pitts last month at a summit announcing Philadelphia’s contribution to the US2020, a federal initiative aimed at better preparing students for high-demand STEM jobs. That’s what can really help the world of science open to them.”

The city has created a website as a next step in broadening the reach of the program that encourages collaboration among colleges and universities, government agencies, and leaders in education, business and philanthropy.

“This is the type of collaboration I want to see,” Mayor Michael Nutter said during the event.

Diane Melley of IBM, spoke out at the summit in support of professional education and training ad-hoc committees that work to forge relationships between business and the academic sectors, and engage students in STEM activities. In an effort to boost student achievement, low-performing schools would be paired with higher-performing schools in 17 school districts across Pennsylvania under the governor’s expanding excellence pilot mentoring grant.

Gov. Tom Corbett announced $700,000 in funding earlier this month.

“I congratulate these schools for their strong record of academic progress, and I applaud each of them for their willingness to work with their peers to improve student performance,” Corbett said in a statement.

Schools that scored 90 percent or higher on their school performance profile for the 2012-13 academic year were eligible to apply for the grant. Applicants were asked to design research-based education models or training tools that could help improve student achievement after analyzing best practices that included strategies, processes and techniques. Their work will be presented to the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association during its school leadership conference this month.

Schools will begin implementing new strategies once they are paired, according to the state Department of Education. The mentor schools were eligible for grants of up to $25,000, and $10,000 in funding was earmarked for partner schools participating in the project. Last month, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission hired New York City Leadership Academy to provide assistant superintendent coaching under a $95,000 contract, effective through June 2015.

(Wilford Shamlin III, "STEM braches into key learning piece for city schools," Philadelphia Tribune, 10/9/14)