{"675085":{"#nid":"675085","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Constellations Leading Initiative to Equip High School Students With Vital Computing Skills","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EWhether they\u2019re interested in auto mechanics, zoology, or something in between, high school students entering the labor force over the next decade will need basic computing skills to\u0026nbsp;succeed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cComputer science is everywhere. Being able to excel in computational thinking is important at every age. Making sure that we are offering students what will make them better humans is just as important,\u201d said Deirdre Pierce, a computer science teacher with Decatur City Schools.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPierce was one of several metro Atlanta school district representatives who recently participated in a meeting hosted by Georgia Tech to discuss an initiative to expand access to computer science (CS) education.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s Constellations Center for Equity in Computing hosted the meeting with seven metro Atlanta school districts, the Georgia Department of Education, and others. The meeting was part of ongoing efforts to ensure all secondary education students have the resources to build their computing skills and computational knowledge.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe school districts participating were Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties, Atlanta Public Schools, and Decatur City Schools. Teachers and career, technical, and agricultural education representatives from these districts convened to explore how to effectively integrate computer science into their curricula.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EConstellations Senior Research Fellow Bryan Cox and Allison Scott, CEO of the Kapor Center, led the meeting. Kapor is a California-based nonprofit organization that provides philanthropic support for Constellations.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Providing robust computer science education to all students, regardless of their background, is crucial for creating a diverse and innovative tech workforce,\u0022 said Scott, highlighting the importance of equitable access to CS education.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Research underscores the need for comprehensive support systems to ensure the successful implementation of computer science programs in schools,\u0022 said Cox.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe discussion centered around identifying each district\u2019s needs and how Constellations and Kapor could support their efforts. Topics included professional development for teachers, curriculum resources, and strategies for engaging students from underrepresented communities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPeople in this space are passionate about removing barriers to access high-quality and inclusive computer science education. However, I think there are some real systemic issues to address for us to do that. So, I\u2019m curious to see the long-term impact of addressing these systemic issues,\u201d said Sally Holloway, Gwinnett County Public Schools director of artificial intelligence and computer science.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo help address the systemic issues, the participants agreed that creating community among the school districts will be essential to their success. The discussions focused on finding ways for districts to support one another and create equitable pedagogy for CS education across the Atlanta metro area.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECox says this initiative reflects a broader trend of integrating CS into K-12 education to prepare students for the demands of the 21st-century workforce.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis program marks a significant step forward in ensuring that students from all backgrounds can access computer science equitably, paving the way for a more inclusive and innovative future,\u201d said Cox.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe meeting featured key figures such as Allison Scott, CEO of Kapor, and Bryan Cox, the Kapor senior research fellow at the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPhoto credit Terence Rushin\/ College of Computing \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Constellations Center for Equity in Computing at Georgia Tech collaborated with the Kapor Center in Oakland, Calif. to create a new kind of AI program. AI4ATL (Artificial Intelligence for Atlanta) is a program that brings together eight Metro Atlanta school into a sort of cohort to increase AI education in the region. Constellations works to bring teachers together for workshops and professional development and Kapor funds the initiative.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Atlanta Metro Schools working with Constellations Center for Equity in Computing to increase AI literacy."}],"uid":"36197","created_gmt":"2024-06-11 19:10:06","changed_gmt":"2024-06-24 15:34:14","author":"cbrown493","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-06-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-06-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674171":{"id":"674171","type":"image","title":"CSED Week 2022_A2A2107.jpg","body":null,"created":"1718133014","gmt_created":"2024-06-11 19:10:14","changed":"1718133014","gmt_changed":"2024-06-11 19:10:14","alt":"Student interacting with robot","file":{"fid":"257650","name":"CSED Week 2022_A2A2107.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/06\/11\/CSED%20Week%202022_A2A2107.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/06\/11\/CSED%20Week%202022_A2A2107.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":16282830,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/06\/11\/CSED%20Week%202022_A2A2107.jpg?itok=sAvew4ZV"}}},"media_ids":["674171"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"606703","name":"Constellations Center"}],"categories":[{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"},{"id":"12673","name":"CS education"},{"id":"176480","name":"constellations center for equity in computing"},{"id":"181991","name":"Georgia Tech News Center"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECharde Brown\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Officer I\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:cbrown493@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ecbrown493@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}