National Computer Science Education Week Is December 6th-12th: How Is Your District Celebrating?
Computer Science Education Week (CS Ed Week) is an annual call to action for the inclusion of computer science in K-12 education. It’s an opportunity to advocate for equity and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners in ensuring ALL students have an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of computer science as well as to dive deeper into CS concepts to prepare for a career. Since 2016, Rhode Island has been celebrating CS Ed Week with the statewide CS4RI Summit. Last year, CS4RI supported districts with a virtual summit and shared opportunities to participate in virtual Family Code Nights. This year, CS4RI is inviting districts to share how they will be celebrating CS Ed Week. Ideas for celebration and resource information as well as a portal for sharing can be found at cs4ri.org/csedweek21.
Over the past five years, the focus for CS4RI has shifted from building awareness for the inclusion of computer science in K-12 education to supporting sustainability of districts’ computer science programs. CS4RI is currently working with 20 high schools across the state in building a Computer Science pathway through a US Dept of Education grant as well as 13 elementary schools in the implementation of the Coding as Another Language K-2 curriculum through a grant with Tufts University. CS4RI continues to explore ways to expand CS opportunities for students, provide professional development and curriculum for educators, and innovate on ways to demonstrate CS proficiency. A Rhode Island teacher endorsement for computer science has been established as well. Nearly every district in the state has worked with CS4RI in some way to establish and strengthen their computer science programs. As CS4RI continues to support districts in their implementation of the RI Computer Science standards, please share how your district is celebrating their accomplishments during CS Ed Week. Visit cs4ri.org/csedweek21 to share.
