EDC and Partners Expand Computer Science Education

WALTHAM, MA | With grants totaling $27 million from government, foundation, industry, and higher education partners, EDC is broadening student access to high-quality computer science (CS) learning. The goal of EDC’s CS work is to ensure that all students are computer literate by the time they graduate from high school, are ready to succeed in a wide variety of careers, and are prepared to be informed decision makers in an increasingly wired world.

In two of its current initiatives, EDC is broadening participation in computing across Massachusetts and in New York City for more than 3,000 students and 150 teachers. Over the next five years, EDC will launch new work to support CS teachers, strengthen statewide approaches to CS education, and provide evidence of effective CS education programs, policies, and practices. EDC’s 2017 plans include leading two national meetings focused on building the capacity of state-level CS efforts to sustain their work and identifying effective strategies to support all K–12 students in developing computational thinking.

“We are deeply committed to building the CS knowledge and skills of all students to be able to fill the jobs demanded by our dynamic economy,” said EDC Vice President Barbara Miller. “All students, especially those from low-income communities and groups underrepresented in CS jobs, should have well-prepared teachers and the learning opportunities needed to succeed.”

EDC’s partners in this work include the following:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• Google
• Massachusetts Bay Community College
• Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
• National Science Foundation
• New York City Department of Education
• New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education
• Research Alliance at New York University
• Twin Cities Public Television/National Girls Collaborative Program
• UC Berkeley
• WGBH

Learn more about EDC’s work to achieve computer science for all and provide new insights into computer science education.

EDC designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity worldwide. Visit www.edc.org.