This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
STEM, the acronym for science, technology, engineering and math, is a big buzzword in education.
It’s also a main selling point for the expansion of one of the School District of Philadelphia’s elite magnet schools, George Washington Carver High School of Engineering & Science, down into the 7th and 8th grades.
"The District approached us with a plan for the expansion, and we came up with a plan for the middle school," said Carver principal Ted Domers. "Rather than grow out, let’s grow down."
Carver, a 750-student school near Temple University in North Philadelphia, is consistently ranked among the top few public high schools in the city and boasts a 99 percent graduation rate, according to its Pennsylvania School Performance Profile.
The expansion, to add 60 seats each for 7th and 8th grade, will give students a chance to get a jump on courses such as computer science and engineering.
Domers said there were two main reasons for adding younger students to the school.
First was the desire to create a pipeline into the high school. Carver already has a "feeder school" relationship with four neighborhood K-8 schools around Philadelphia: Blaine, Kelley, Southwark and Arthur.
The second was a realization, he said, that "all of our 9th graders take computer science and engineering as a part of introduction to our course. … Those introductory classes are not developmentally inappropriate for middle school students."
Technology and professional development associated with the expansion were supported by a $200,000 grant from the Philadelphia School Partnership, a nonprofit that gives money to "innovative" schools of all affiliations. The District also invested in $660,000 in curriculum expenses alone.
Wanted: Middle school magnet seats
About 300 students applied for the 120 open seats at Carver. The District has already made its selection for the incoming classes.