Melissa Schonig is a fifth-grade English and Language Arts (ELA) teacher at Lynhaven Elementary School where 40-50 percent of students are Latino, and many don’t have access to computers at home. She didn’t know much about computer science, but wanted her students to get familiar with coding because it can help with other skills, such as critical thinking and collaboration. So she tried a CS First activity where students coded different endings to the story they read in class. Melissa says that, in a short time, “the kids were problem solving, troubleshooting, and helping one another. It was incredible to hear the conversations about coding and the other concepts we were learning in the room.”
Melissa and her students, learning how to code using CS First, a video-based curriculum for elementary and middle school students.
What Melissa saw in her classroom isn’t unique. 67 percent of teachers believe CS is just as important as other subjects, but many schools don’t offer computer science courses that include programming—and the ones that do are in well-resourced school districts.
We believe that training, resources, and community for teachers are key to improving equity in CS education and expanding access for all students. Code with Google is our new CS comprehensive resource for educators. It brings together Google’s free curriculum and programs that build coding skills—from beginner level to advanced—to help students succeed. Teachers can integrate CS First into their classroom, guide their high school students to the free code learning app Grasshopper to learn Javascript, or share CS scholarship opportunities with students.
As part of Code with Google, we’re extending our commitment to teachers by announcing a $1 million Google.org grant to the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) to support their mission of building community and providing CS professional development to teachers in communities across the U.S. Through CSTA’s national network of chapters, more teachers will have the resources they need to bring CS learning to their students.
Code with Google is the next step in our ongoing commitment to closing equity gaps in computer science education. With the right tools and resources, more teachers can help their students unlock their potential with code.
