$333K For K-12 Computer Science Granted To Stockton

GALLOWAY, NJ — Stockton University received a grant of $333,313 from the state to create a regional K-12 computer science regional hub.

Twenty-six years ago, the school started the Educational Technology Training Center (ETTC) to create a regional network among school districts to improve education through technology, which has now come full circle thanks to the grant, Patty Weeks, the director of the Southern Regional Institute and ETTC in the School of Education at Stockton, said in a release.

“It’s time for the next step — making sure teachers and students can use the technology to create the ideas, the codes, that can support the development of computer science,” Weeks said.

The money is part of a two-year grant and comes from a mandate from Gov. Phil Murphy in 2020 to commit funds to “promote equitable and expanded access to high-quality, standards-based computer science education for all New Jersey K to 12 students in preparation for postsecondary success.”

Beginning in this school year, all students must have access to computer science, but the biggest roadblock is that there are not enough teachers prepared to teach it, Weeks said.

That's where Stockton's institute comes in.

The institute’s Coastal Hub for Computer Science Education hosted its first free cohort of 30 teachers from local school districts for a four-day workshop at the end of August, according to Weeks.

This fall, teachers will receive on-site instructional coaching in their classrooms. Teachers will also participate in an online community where they will share ideas about teaching and learning computer science across all grades. The hub will host more free training throughout October and November.

“The teachers loved it because it’s not just about coding,” Weeks said. “It’s about thinking in a different way.”

The free workshops are open to any teacher from any district, Weeks said, but the hub has also partnered with four districts to receive additional on-site support during the first year of the grant — Mullica Township, Hamilton Township, Buena Regional and Wildwood. The hub plans to add additional districts in the second year.

“We really want to reach those districts that are typically underrepresented in the field of computer science, districts that don’t have any computer science education,” she said.

Weeks said currently there is no standard state teaching certification for computer science, but she expects that will happen shortly for a field that is rapidly evolving and changing. Once the certification is approved, the hub will offer support to novice teachers interested in acquiring it.

“I just can’t imagine the world that these kids are going to face and the kinds of work they are going to do,” Weeks said. “But the industry needs this computer science training. They are asking for this. Parents are asking for it. The timing is right.”

Learn more about the Coastal Hub for Computer Science by visiting the program’s website and see a schedule of upcoming events. For questions or more information send Patty Weeks an email.