TFA, AT&T deal will expand computer science education in KC
December 5, 2016 | Meghan LeVota
Despite the growing number of computing job openings, only 1 in 4 U.S. schools offer computer science classes, according to the White House.
To expand its computer science initiative, Teach for America Kansas City announced Monday that the organization received a donation of $100,000 from AT&T’s philanthropic arm, AT&T Aspire.
The partnership’s goal is to expand computer science education to low-income communities and reach more than 150 area students with professional development programs as well as resources for teachers. With AT&T’s support, Teach for America Kansas City members will have access to computer science curriculum and professional development.
Both organizations said they are committed to connecting teachers to opportunities to develop youth tech skills.
“Our young people are our greatest strength and will set the course for our future,” AT&T Missouri president John Sondag said in a release. “By working with Teach For America we are able to provide critical opportunities in computer science that will help ignite their potential and set them on a track to succeed in 21st-century careers.”
In 2015, Teach for America formally launched its computer science initiative with the support of AT&T and the National Science Foundation. In addition to Kansas City, the initiative will spread to the Bay Area, Dallas-Fort Worth, Rio Grande Valley, South Carolina, and Washington D.C. over the next two years.
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Joni Cobb and Pipeline took ‘a leap of faith’ that’s paying off
In 2006, Joni Cobb was busy coaxing Kansas business executives to apply for a program honing their leadership skills. Then a state-subsidized program, Pipeline would cultivate promising entrepreneurs that would tangentially grow the Sunflower State’s economy with their firms. Extolled as rigorous, the Pipeline sales pitch hit snags with its intensiveness and novelty. Skeptical entrepreneurs…
The Pipeline fellowship’s journey to the Emerald Isle in photos
In an educational adventure focused on finance and global business strategy, the Pipeline entrepreneurial fellowship program ventured across the pond for a week of relationship building. I tagged along not only to observe the experience — expect more on that front soon — but to capture some moments with my camera. This smattering of photos, which…
Kansas City startups flex pitch skills in national Kauffman contest
Four Kansas City area startups — and one Lawrence, Kan. firm — have qualified to the top 40 of Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s 1 in a Million pitch competition. The competition offers those who have presented at 1 Million Cups in the last year a chance to snag a $25,000 prize. Hundreds of applicants — who…
Big Bang leverages smart city success, LaunchKC momentum
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. As Kansas City becomes a hotbed for smart city tech, one local startup is providing a spine for streamlined communication among the devices cities will leverage. Kansas City-based Big Bang’s Internet of Things software aims to work as the “central nervous…