Loudoun Education Foundation’s Post

All of our workshops are special. However, this one was extra special. Because we had some special people participating. This workshop saw children of determination rubbing shoulders with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) team to pack school supplies into bags. We are aware of what a huge honor and responsibility this was, that the children of determination (and their school, Senses Residential and Day Care for Special Needs ) trusted us with their presence and their efforts. This could have turned out to be an intimidating experience for some of these children, but they rose to the occasion and how! We have nothing but admiration for their gusto, for the staff of Senses who were so hands-on and helpful with the children and for the enthusiasm and inclusiveness of the AWS employees, which made the experience so seamless and enjoyable for the children. To sum it up, a good time was had by all. Some of these school bags will stay with the special needs kids and be used by them, while the rest will make their way to disadvantaged children overseas. Much gratitude to all the partners involved – Companies for Good, Senses Residential and Day Care for Special Needs and AWS. The success of this workshops just goes to show what we can achieve when we lay our inhibitions aside to work together for the common good. #inclusionmatters #peopleofdetermination #corporatesocialresponsibility #employeeengagement #workshops #socialimpact

New York Will Start Requiring Credentials for All CS Teachers: Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: In 2012, Microsoft President Brad Smith unveiled Microsoft's National Talent Strategy, which called for K-12 Computer Science education for U.S. schoolchildren to address a "talent crisis [that] endangers long-term growth and prosperity". The following year, tech-backed nonprofit Code.org burst onto the scene to deliver that education to schoolchildren, with Smith and execs from tech giants Google and Amazon on its Board of Directors (and Code.org donors Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg as lead K-12 CS instructors). Using a mix of paid individuals, universities and other organizations that it helped to fund, along with online self-paced courses, Code.org boasts it quickly "prepared more than 106,000 new teachers to teach CS across grades K-12" through its professional learning programs. "No computer science experience required," Code.org teases prospective K-12 teachers (as does Code.org partner Amazon Future Engineer). Code.org organized K-12 CS teacher workforce expansion workshops. However, at least one state is taking steps to put an end to the practice of rebranding individuals as K-12 CS teachers in as little as a day, albeit with a generous 10-year loophole for currently uncertified K-12 CS teachers. "At the start of the 2024-2025 academic year," reports GovTech, "the New York State Education Department (NYSED) is honing its credential requirements for computer science teachers, though the state has yet to join the growing list of those mandating computer science instruction for high school graduation. According to the department's website, as of Sept. 1, 2024, educators who teach computer science will need either a Computer Science Certificate issued by the state Board of Regents or a Computer Science Statement of Continued Eligibility (SOCE), which may be given to instructors who don't have the specific certificate but have nonetheless taught computer science since Sept. 1, 2017.... "The NYSED website says the SOCE is a temporary measure that will be phased out after 10 years, at which point all computer science instructors will need a Computer Science Certificate." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Indiana Becomes 9th State To Make CS a High School Graduation Requirement: Longtime Slashdot reader theodp writes: Last October, tech-backed nonprofit Code.org publicly called out Indiana in its 2023 State of Computer Science Education report, advising the Hoosier state it needed to heed Code.org's new policy recommendation and "adopt a graduation requirement for all high school students in computer science." Having already joined 49 other Governors who signed a Code.org-organized compact calling for increased K-12 CS education in his state after coming under pressure from hundreds of the nation's tech, business, and nonprofit leaders, Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb apparently didn't need much convincing. "We must prepare our students for a digitally driven world by requiring Computer Science to graduate from high school," Holcomb proclaimed in his January State of the State Address. Two months later -- following Microsoft-applauded testimony for legislation to make it so by Code.org partners College Board and Nextech (the Indiana Code.org Regional Partner which is also paid by the Indiana Dept. of Education to prepare educators to teach K-12 CS, including Code.org's curriculum) -- Holcomb on Wednesday signed House Bill 1243 into law, making CS a HS graduation requirement. The IndyStar reports students beginning with the Class of 2029 will be required to take a computer science class that must include instruction in algorithms and programming, computing systems, data and analysis, impacts of computing and networks and the internet. The new law is not Holcomb's first foray into K-12 CS education. Back in 2017, Holcomb and Indiana struck a deal giving Infosys (a big Code.org donor) the largest state incentive package ever -- $31M to bring 2,000 tech employees to Central Indiana — that also promised to make Indiana kids more CS savvy through the Infosys Foundation USA, headed at the time by Vandana Sikka, a Code.org Board member and wife of Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka. Following the announcement of the now-stalled deal, Holcomb led a delegation to Silicon Valley where he and Indiana University (IU) President Michael McRobbie joined Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi and Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka on a Thought Leader panel at the Infosys Confluence 2017 conference to discuss Preparing America for Tomorrow. At the accompanying Infosys Crossroads 2017 CS education conference, speakers included Sikka's wife Vandana, McRobbie's wife Laurie Burns McRobbie, Nextech President and co-CEO Karen Jung, Code.org execs, and additional IU educators. Later that year, IU 'First Lady' Laurie Burns McRobbie announced that Indiana would offer the IU Bloomington campus as a venue for Infosys Foundation USA's inaugural Pathfinders Summer Institute, a national event for K-12 teacher education in CS that offered professional development from Code.org and Nextech, as well as an unusual circumvent-your-school's-approval-and-name-your-own-stipend funding arrangement for teachers via a

Indiana Becomes 9th State To Make CS a High School Graduation Requirement: Longtime Slashdot reader theodp writes: Last October, tech-backed nonprofit Code.org publicly called out Indiana in its 2023 State of Computer Science Education report, advising the Hoosier state it needed to heed Code.org's new policy recommendation and "adopt a graduation requirement for all high school students in computer science." Having already joined 49 other Governors who signed a Code.org-organized compact calling for increased K-12 CS education in his state after coming under pressure from hundreds of the nation's tech, business, and nonprofit leaders, Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb apparently didn't need much convincing. "We must prepare our students for a digitally driven world by requiring Computer Science to graduate from high school," Holcomb proclaimed in his January State of the State Address. Two months later -- following Microsoft-applauded testimony for legislation to make it so by Code.org partners College Board and Nextech (the Indiana Code.org Regional Partner which is also paid by the Indiana Dept. of Education to prepare educators to teach K-12 CS, including Code.org's curriculum) -- Holcomb on Wednesday signed House Bill 1243 into law, making CS a HS graduation requirement. The IndyStar reports students beginning with the Class of 2029 will be required to take a computer science class that must include instruction in algorithms and programming, computing systems, data and analysis, impacts of computing and networks and the internet. The new law is not Holcomb's first foray into K-12 CS education. Back in 2017, Holcomb and Indiana struck a deal giving Infosys (a big Code.org donor) the largest state incentive package ever -- $31M to bring 2,000 tech employees to Central Indiana — that also promised to make Indiana kids more CS savvy through the Infosys Foundation USA, headed at the time by Vandana Sikka, a Code.org Board member and wife of Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka. Following the announcement of the now-stalled deal, Holcomb led a delegation to Silicon Valley where he and Indiana University (IU) President Michael McRobbie joined Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi and Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka on a Thought Leader panel at the Infosys Confluence 2017 conference to discuss Preparing America for Tomorrow. At the accompanying Infosys Crossroads 2017 CS education conference, speakers included Sikka's wife Vandana, McRobbie's wife Laurie Burns McRobbie, Nextech President and co-CEO Karen Jung, Code.org execs, and additional IU educators. Later that year, IU 'First Lady' Laurie Burns McRobbie announced that Indiana would offer the IU Bloomington campus as a venue for Infosys Foundation USA's inaugural Pathfinders Summer Institute, a national event for K-12 teacher education in CS that offered professional development from Code.org and Nextech, as well as an unusual circumvent-your-school's-approval-and-name-your-own-stipend funding arrangement for teachers via a

That feeling when your #behindthescenes hard work gets your client the cover story! Love working on #AWSGirlsTechDay every year 🥰 Read it in the Macarthur Advocate. Link in post below ⬇️ #awsincommunities #aws #girlsintech

New York Will Start Requiring Credentials for All CS Teachers: Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: In 2012, Microsoft President Brad Smith unveiled Microsoft's National Talent Strategy, which called for K-12 Computer Science education for U.S. schoolchildren to address a "talent crisis [that] endangers long-term growth and prosperity". The following year, tech-backed nonprofit Code.org burst onto the scene to deliver that education to schoolchildren, with Smith and execs from tech giants Google and Amazon on its Board of Directors (and Code.org donors Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg as lead K-12 CS instructors). Using a mix of paid individuals, universities and other organizations that it helped to fund, along with online self-paced courses, Code.org boasts it quickly "prepared more than 106,000 new teachers to teach CS across grades K-12" through its professional learning programs. "No computer science experience required," Code.org teases prospective K-12 teachers (as does Code.org partner Amazon Future Engineer). Code.org organized K-12 CS teacher workforce expansion workshops. However, at least one state is taking steps to put an end to the practice of rebranding individuals as K-12 CS teachers in as little as a day, albeit with a generous 10-year loophole for currently uncertified K-12 CS teachers. "At the start of the 2024-2025 academic year," reports GovTech, "the New York State Education Department (NYSED) is honing its credential requirements for computer science teachers, though the state has yet to join the growing list of those mandating computer science instruction for high school graduation. According to the department's website, as of Sept. 1, 2024, educators who teach computer science will need either a Computer Science Certificate issued by the state Board of Regents or a Computer Science Statement of Continued Eligibility (SOCE), which may be given to instructors who don't have the specific certificate but have nonetheless taught computer science since Sept. 1, 2017.... "The NYSED website says the SOCE is a temporary measure that will be phased out after 10 years, at which point all computer science instructors will need a Computer Science Certificate." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

New York Will Start Requiring Credentials for All CS Teachers: Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: In 2012, Microsoft President Brad Smith unveiled Microsoft's National Talent Strategy, which called for K-12 Computer Science education for U.S. schoolchildren to address a "talent crisis [that] endangers long-term growth and prosperity". The following year, tech-backed nonprofit Code.org burst onto the scene to deliver that education to schoolchildren, with Smith and execs from tech giants Google and Amazon on its Board of Directors (and Code.org donors Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg as lead K-12 CS instructors). Using a mix of paid individuals, universities and other organizations that it helped to fund, along with online self-paced courses, Code.org boasts it quickly "prepared more than 106,000 new teachers to teach CS across grades K-12" through its professional learning programs. "No computer science experience required," Code.org teases prospective K-12 teachers (as does Code.org partner Amazon Future Engineer). Code.org organized K-12 CS teacher workforce expansion workshops. However, at least one state is taking steps to put an end to the practice of rebranding individuals as K-12 CS teachers in as little as a day, albeit with a generous 10-year loophole for currently uncertified K-12 CS teachers. "At the start of the 2024-2025 academic year," reports GovTech, "the New York State Education Department (NYSED) is honing its credential requirements for computer science teachers, though the state has yet to join the growing list of those mandating computer science instruction for high school graduation. According to the department's website, as of Sept. 1, 2024, educators who teach computer science will need either a Computer Science Certificate issued by the state Board of Regents or a Computer Science Statement of Continued Eligibility (SOCE), which may be given to instructors who don't have the specific certificate but have nonetheless taught computer science since Sept. 1, 2017.... "The NYSED website says the SOCE is a temporary measure that will be phased out after 10 years, at which point all computer science instructors will need a Computer Science Certificate." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

States Are Calling For More K-12 CS Classes. Now They Need the Teachers.: Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: "42 states to go!" exclaimed Code.org to its 1+ million Twitter followers as it celebrated victorious efforts to pass legislation making North Carolina the 8th state to pass a high school computer science graduation requirement, bringing the tech-backed nonprofit a step closer to its goal of making CS a requirement for a HS diploma in all 50 states. But as states make good on pledges made to tech CEOs to make their schoolchildren CS savvy, Education Week cautions that K-12 CS has a big certified teacher shortage problem. From the article: When trying to ensure all students get access to the knowledge they need for college and careers, sometimes policy can get ahead of teacher capacity. Computer science is a case in point. As of 2022, every state in the nation has passed at least one law or policy intended to promote K-12 computer science education, and 53 percent of high schools offered basic computer science courses that year, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Code.org." "'There's big money behind making [course offerings] go up higher and faster,' thanks to federal and state grants as well as private foundations, said Paul Bruno, an assistant professor of education policy, organization, and leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. "But then that raises the question, well, who are we getting to teach these courses...?" Bruno's work in states such as California and North Carolina suggests that few of those new computer science classes are staffed with teachers who are certified in that subject." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

States Are Calling For More K-12 CS Classes. Now They Need the Teachers.: Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: "42 states to go!" exclaimed Code.org to its 1+ million Twitter followers as it celebrated victorious efforts to pass legislation making North Carolina the 8th state to pass a high school computer science graduation requirement, bringing the tech-backed nonprofit a step closer to its goal of making CS a requirement for a HS diploma in all 50 states. But as states make good on pledges made to tech CEOs to make their schoolchildren CS savvy, Education Week cautions that K-12 CS has a big certified teacher shortage problem. From the article: When trying to ensure all students get access to the knowledge they need for college and careers, sometimes policy can get ahead of teacher capacity. Computer science is a case in point. As of 2022, every state in the nation has passed at least one law or policy intended to promote K-12 computer science education, and 53 percent of high schools offered basic computer science courses that year, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Code.org." "'There's big money behind making [course offerings] go up higher and faster,' thanks to federal and state grants as well as private foundations, said Paul Bruno, an assistant professor of education policy, organization, and leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. "But then that raises the question, well, who are we getting to teach these courses...?" Bruno's work in states such as California and North Carolina suggests that few of those new computer science classes are staffed with teachers who are certified in that subject." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Dear fellow developer rockstars, programmer ninjas, and code slingers. As we enter into 2024, I implore you to put your many talents to good use and volunteer your time and resources to supporting the education of future coders, programmers, and developers. Many high school computer science programs could use the support and guidance of industry professionals, and all it takes to get started is just a few minutes if your time. If interested, you can check out the volunteer opportunities through official programs like Code.org or Microsoft TEALS Program, or you can do what I did (in addition to those two) and reach out to high schools in your neighborhood directly and see how you can help. And if your time is at a premium these days—trust me, I get it—many high school programs might accept donations of lightly used laptops (which, if you're like me, you've got about a dozen collecting dust in your closet). These machines can often be used in classroom education (and are a hell of a lot better than Chromebooks). If you're not sure how or where to start, please get in touch and I'd be happy to help you find some opportunities to use your skills to help foster the growth of the next generation of developers. #volunteering #softwaredevelopment #computerscience