Partners in Bridging the Digital Divide special promotional section
TEACHER MAUREEN LOFT WORKING WITH STUDENTS AT LEO A . PALMITER JR ./ SR . HIGH SCHOOL , A SACRAMENTO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION PROGRAM
SACRAMENTO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Closing the Computer Science Skills Gap
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Universities and employers expect and need people to have strong computer science skills for a great many highvalue occupations , but there is an enormous gap between the number of computer science training programs and classes in K-12 education versus what ’ s needed ,” says Matthew Perry , Ed . D ., assistant superintendent with the Sacramento County Office of Education . “ Our computer science initiatives aim to close that gap in the K-12 space .”
It ’ s a collaborative effort , as SCOE works with not only schools but also nonprofit and community-based partners . The agency is building a suite of services that supports school districts as they begin to implement college and career pathways in computer science , providing students with critical skills that lead to high-wage , high-demand careers . In California , 51 % of high schools don ’ t have any computer science courses .
“ Our five-spoke wheel of services includes professional learning , student programs , technical assistance , pathway development and curriculum ,” explains Jared Amalong , director of Computer Science Education . “ We host the Summer of Computer Science workshops for educators statewide as an example of professional learning , host summer camps for students lacking access to computer science in school as an example of student programs , and are helping expand capacity for six far-north California counties as an example of technical assistance .”
Every industry — from agriculture and healthcare to construction and manufacturing — will need employees with computer science skills . SCOE addresses this need by helping other county offices , school districts and teachers implement computer science programs to build capacity to achieve the needed scale .
“ It ’ s a long-term , large-scope initiative , but when we see an elementary school teacher participating in the Summer of Computer Science , for example , we see it come right down to the individual and ultimately to the student ,” Perry says . “ We aim to make the computer science skill set more universally understood as necessary , mainstream and accessible to everyone .”
“ We aim to make the computer science skill set more universally understood as necessary , mainstream and accessible to everyone .”
— Matthew Perry Assistant Superintendent Sacramento County Office of Education
10474 Mather Blvd . Mather , CA 95655 ( 916 ) 228-2500
scoe . net
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