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Harrisburg, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Deputy Secretary Matthew Stem joined with former White House senior policy advisor for tech inclusion, Ruthe Farmer, and hundreds of educators and school leaders to kick off PDE’s Computer Science for All PA Summit.
During the three-day summit, education professionals will learn innovative approaches for providing students with computer science experiences in classrooms across the commonwealth.
“In the next ten years, over 71 percent of new jobs will require computer science skills,” said Deputy Secretary Stem. “The Wolf Administration as well as our school leaders are rising to the challenge to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education, are college and career ready, and will thrive in an ever-changing workforce.”
Since taking office in 2015, Governor Wolf has championed to expand access to computer science and STEM education. This year he introduced PAsmart, a $30 million investment to develop and expand computer science and STEM in K-12 education, to prepare and train educators to teach in computer science, STEM, and to offer job training for adults in computer science.
Also, to address the findings of a 2015 report indicating that only one in 10 Pennsylvania students in grades 7 through 12 were enrolled in a computer science course, with significant gaps for girls, students of color, and low-income students, Governor Wolf requested that the State Board of Education endorse Computer Science Teacher Association (CSTA) K-12 Standards, and in January Pennsylvania joined fewer than a dozen states in to have endorsed the standards,
“We cannot further STEM education with out equitable access to computer science for all students,” said Deputy Secretary Stem. “This week’s summit will teach our educational professionals how to encourage our students to become tomorrow’s industry leaders.”
Governor Wolf is also a member of the Governors’ Partnership for K-12 Computer Science, a bipartisan, multi-state initiative organized by Code.org, to build the commonwealth’s existing commitment to STEM education, where Pennsylvania has been recognized as a national leader.
Throughout the summer, PDE leaders will visit educational camps, libraries, and colleges to highlight the importance of STEM education as part of the #SummerOfSTEM tour.
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