Philly magnet school gets grant to expand
Carver High School of Engineering and Science has won $147,000 from the Philadelphia School Partnership to add a middle school.
ONE OF THE city's top magnet high schools has been awarded a grant to expand next September.
George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science, which serves 750 students, will receive $147,000 from the Philadelphia School Partnership to add seventh and eighth grades, officials said. The new middle school will serve an additional 120 students and be closely aligned to Carver's science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum, a/k/a STEM.
"Students at Carver High School are learning and achieving at high levels, and the school's leadership team believes they can offer this excellent education to younger students," Jessica Pena, PSP's director of the Great Schools Fund, said in a statement. Carver, on Norris Street near 16th in North Philadelphia, was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and received the Governor's Award for Academic Excellence in 2013 for ranking in the top 10 percent in the state. Its student population is 84 percent black and Hispanic, and 62 percent economically disadvantaged.
Parents, staff and supporters at Carver have long tried to create a middle school pipeline for students interested in STEM subjects. The grant will enable a team to spend this year designing the curriculum.
"By adding a middle school next fall, Carver will be well-positioned to expand the pool of students preparing for 21st-century careers and academic concepts," principal Ted Domers said in a statement.
PSP also announced a $246,000 grant for strategic growth to Freire Charter School, which has two Center City locations.
PSP, a nonprofit organization which funds the creation and expansion of high-quality K-12 Philadelphia schools of all types, has been criticized for supporting privatization. It has now invested a total of $35.4 million, including $11.5 million in district schools.