Alabama school teachers will get more opportunities to train as computer science teachers through an expanded partnership with At College Ready, the Alabama State Department of Education and CODE.org
The expansion announced on Tuesday seeks to give teachers the tools they need to get students geared up for advanced studies and jobs in technology.
“It’s about connecting with students and connecting with their real world lives. I can’t think of a better way to that than through computer science,” Jake Baskin, regional director for CODE.org, The organization works to promote increased access to computer science education.
By 2022 more than two-thirds of science, technology, engineering and math jobs will be in computing occupations, according to CODE.org.
“From the moment we wake up and throughout the day, we are interacting with technology, the internet and with apps on our phones. To turn students into creators of that technology really connects with them in the world that they live in,” Baskin says.
Code.org will provide curriculum and professional development services for teachers, and fund the program along with A+ College Ready and ALSDE.
The initial program provided education for 50 teachers. The expansion includes education for an additional 50 teachers across the state, according to A+ College Ready.