GaDOE one
of 27 grant winners nationwide
MEDIA CONTACT: Meghan Frick, GaDOE
Communications Office, 404-463-4246,mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us
October 20,
2017 – The National Science Foundation has awarded the Georgia
Department of Education a $300,000 grant to align and support the efforts of
several Georgia school districts that are introducing K-12 computer science
education.
GaDOE will work collaboratively with Wiregrass Technical College,
Atlanta Public Schools, Douglas County Schools, Ben Hill County Schools, Brooks
County Schools, and Thomas County Schools to pilot “Aligning for Impact:
Computer Science Pathways Across Contexts.” Together, the partners
will create plans for sustainable efforts that ensure diverse participation in
computer science across urban, suburban or rural areas.
"This grant will contribute to Georgia's ongoing work to
expand computer science opportunities across the state for all students,"
State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. "Computer science courses
offer students at all grade levels the foundational skills they need for
learning across many subjects and lay the foundation for emerging careers in
the 21st century."
Ultimately, the project goal is the development of a coherent
framework for aligning K-12 computer science education pathways. With GaDOE’s
coordination, these school districts will collaboratively seek improvements in
their own student participation rates.
“Learning computer science should be about making, tinkering,
and creating across all grade levels,” Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and
Learning Dr. Caitlin McMunn Dooley said. “We are thrilled to have
some of our districts partner with us to learn together as we broaden access to
K-12 computer science education. Almost every job in the future will involve
computing, so we see computer science education as providing foundational
knowledge and skills for all students.”
This grant-funded project is part of the NSF Includes Design and
Development Launch Pilots. The Georgia Department of Education received one of
the 27 grants awarded nationally. All projects are intended to work toward
systemic change and improve student participation rates in STEM, especially in
underrepresented populations.