MEDIA
CONTACT: Meghan
Frick, GaDOE Communications Office, 404-463-4246, mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us
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Click
here for list of awardees.
November
14, 2019 – The
Georgia Department of Education is awarding grants to 34 school districts to
help them build teacher capacity around computer science education.
Computer
science has become a high-demand career across multiple industries, and
includes skills all students need to learn. Thus far, the largest challenge for
school districts in building this new discipline is building teaching capacity
– there are currently 250 credentialed computer science teachers – and 1,000
middle and high schools – in Georgia.
This
grant is designed to help mitigate that gap; it provides funding for teachers
to participate in professional learning opportunities, including credential
programs.
“It
was an honor to work alongside Senators P. K. Martin and Jack Hill and others
to get this grant created and funded,” Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan said.
“Providing valuable training opportunities for new computer science teachers is
a very important priority for our state and my office. In order to reach our
goal of being the technology capital of the East Coast, we will need a strong
coding workforce. Thanks to the great work of Superintendent Woods and his
team, this work can take shape and continue to grow.”
“Computer
science learning is essential for all students – not just those who will
ultimately pursue STEM careers,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods
said. “As school districts make the shift to offering computer science as a
K-12 discipline, one of the most immediate needs is teacher capacity. These
grant funds allow districts to invest in the talented teachers already in their
building and provide the training needed to develop a CS skillset.”
Each
of the 34 districts is receiving up to $25,000, for a total of $744,381
awarded. Priority was given to districts serving highly impoverished and/or
rural communities.
The
grant is part of CS4GA – an
initiative focused on making Georgia a national leader in the computer science
movement by developing and delivering high-quality courses, resources and
professional learning; increasing the number of CS endorsements held by
educators; and expanding the integration of CS throughout the K-12 curriculum.