NSF Awards Nearly One Million to Support Tennessee Computer Science Education Efforts
CodeCrew (Memphis, TN), CSforALL (National), and CSEdResearch.org (Peoria, IL) have been awarded a three year grant from National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance computer science education in K-12 Tennessee school districts.
For Immediate Release
(New York, NY and Memphis, TN, Friday, October 29, 2021) — — CodeCrew (Memphis, TN) and CSforALL (National) have been awarded $999,160 to build capacity in computer science K-12 pathways throughout the state of Tennessee, working in collaboration with the evaluation team at CSEdResearch.org. The project will leverage the Strategic CSforALL Resource and Implementation Planning Tool (SCRIPT) to create opportunities for local facilitator training; provide ongoing support; and added capacity to almost half of the school districts for the state.
Currently, only half of the schools in Tennessee teach computer science. With the approval of new state standards in 2020, this project will raise awareness for the need to implement computer science across the state and empower local school leaders to design and implement plans to increase their capacity to offer CS. This will result in increased access and participation in CS learning opportunities across the state, potentially reaching at least 45% of Tennessee school districts.
“The jobs of today and tomorrow increasingly rely on technology,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “This NSF grant and its focus on preparing school districts across the state to teach computer science aligns closely with our Future Workforce Initiative. With both of these innovative initiatives statewide, we intend to make Tennessee a top state for job creation in STEM.”
“We are honored to have the support of the NSF as we partner with CSforALL to scale up computer science education across Tennessee,” said Meka Egwuekwe, CodeCrew Executive Director. “This grant will help ensure we are collaborative and strategic as our state implements this important foundational element of modern education, all while making Tennessee more competitive.”
With the support of CodeCrew, one of the main activities that Tennessee school districts will use is the Strategic CSforALL Resource and Implementation Planning Tool (SCRIPT). The framework is a guide for local education leaders, including district administrators, school leaders, and educators, to work through a series of collaborative visioning, self-assessment and goal-setting exercises that will create and/or expand a computer science education implementation plan for their students. Since 2017, over 700 school districts nationwide have participated in SCRIPT workshops.
“With this collaboration and three year grant, almost half of the school districts in Tennessee will raise awareness for the need for CS education, and participate in capacity building activities to help TN students be the problem solvers of tomorrow. ” — Leigh Ann DeLyser, Co-Founder and Executive Director of CSforALL
The partnership between CodeCrew and CSforALL builds on previous work. In the fall of 2020, CodeCrew and CSforALL collaborated on the 2020 CSforALL Commitments Showcase that featured celebrity presenters, CS influencers, a keynote from Mitchel Resnick and much more. The event reached over 5,000 individuals and streamed to 43 U.S. States and 15 countries.
For more information about CSforALL’s SCRIPT program please visit www.csforall.org/script or reach out to script@csforall.org. To learn more about CodeCrew and their programs in the TN area please visit www.code-crew.org or contact team@code-crew.org For more information about CSEdResearch.org, visit csedresearch.org or email monica@csedresearch.org.
About CSforALL: CSforALL’s mission is to make high-quality computer science an integral part of the educational experience of all K-12 students and teachers and to support student pathways to college and career success.
About CodeCrew: CodeCrew is a Memphis-based nonprofit tech organization that empowers youth and adults from underrepresented communities to be tech innovators and producers through practical, hands-on computer science education and training.
About CSEdResearch.org: Located in Peoria, IL, CSEdResearch.org is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to improve K-12 CS education for all children by enabling and disseminating exemplary evidence-driven research, with a focus on identifying culturally relevant promising practices and transforming student learning.
For all media inquiries, please contact Nadia Tronick, Communications Manager, at nadia@csforall.org or call 303.815.9433
