The Georgia Tech Anchor Institution initiative focuses on supporting the westside community adjacent to campus. In establishing Georgia Tech as a leader in PreK-12 outreach, the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) has worked closely with Institute Relations to determine if any of their efforts can translate into educational opportunities for the Washington Cluster with the ultimate goal of improving STEM teaching and learning in Atlanta Public Schools in proximity to the Tech campus and developing a sustainable and effective model of school-university collaboration that can be replicated and scaled.
The Talent Development Program, an initiative supporting Tech's Anchor Institution initiative and Tech's Strategic Plan, kicked off in summer 2023 in which rising sixth graders visited campus for two weeks with an academic focus on algebra and computer science as well as hearing from Georgia Tech Undergraduate Admission and taking a field trip to Google. The long-term plan is for the program to be a multi-year effort that students will return to over their middle and high school careers, maintaining engagement with Georgia Tech all the way through graduation.
The Talent Development Program is designed to:
- Provide a summer experience that serves as early exposure to the college admissions process and an introduction to computer science;
- Provide continual programming to strengthen student knowledge of algebra and computer science;
- Provide support to participants and their families through family engagement events and workshops; and
- Provide students with educational pathways to different areas of STEM learning and career opportunities.
Summer 2023 marked the pilot year for Tech's Talent Development Program in which twenty rising sixth graders from APS' Washington Cluster learned about the college admissions process, potential careers, and even what it's like to take college courses. Read more about the program here!