The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) recently awarded another round of grants to districts to build teacher capacity around computer science education. Cobb Schools is one of the 30 school districts that received a grant. The GaDOE awarded Cobb Schools $25,000 of the $645,000 total grant fund to help train computer science teachers.

Computer science (CS) has become a high-demand career across multiple industries and includes skills all students need to learn. Thus far, the largest challenge for school districts in building this new discipline is building teaching capacity. There are currently 403 credentialed CS teachers and 1,000 middle and high schools in Georgia, up from 250 teachers in 2019.

This grant is designed to help mitigate that gap; it provides funding for teachers to participate in professional learning opportunities; including credential programs.

"These grants are another great step forward in ensuring Georgia becomes the Technology Capital of the East Coast," Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan said. "Just recently, the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, which is spearheading our effort to make Georgia the Tech Capital of the East Coast, designated STEM K-12 education as one of its top priorities for additional growth. I want to thank the Department of Education and Superintendent Richard Woods for continuing this critical program, which helps build a strong educational foundation for Georgia's children."

“It’s our job as educators to prepare students, not for the world of today, but the world of tomorrow,” Superintendent Woods said. “Children in public schools today need to be equipped to build successful lives in the future. Focusing on computer science as an essential K-12 discipline ensures students are prepared not just with technical skills but with experience in problem-solving and real-world thinking that will serve them well in any career they choose.”

Funds were awarded through a competitive application process, prioritizing school systems serving highly impoverished and/or rural communities.

The grant is aligned to GaDOE's Roadmap to Reimagining K-12 Education, which calls for setting the expectation that every child, in every part of the state, has access to a well-rounded education -- including computer science. 

"The computer science capacity grant offers the district an opportunity to accelerate the introduction of computer science into middle and high schools well ahead of the timeline established by Senate Bill 108," explained Arthur V. O’Neill, Cobb Schools supervisor of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education. "The grant funds will be used to build the teacher’s knowledge base through endorsement courses offered at partnering universities and regional accrediting agencies. In the end, the student benefits the most as they will be able to develop a strong computer science foundation in middle school before transitioning to high school courses where they will be able to continue their development in advanced computer science programs."