PWCS has an initiative in place, called “Inspiring Future Innovators: Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Talent,” which aims to foster more interest and engagement in careers related to computer science.
VDOE provided funding to several districts throughout the state that also have computer science initiatives in place. These districts include Clarke County Public Schools, Winchester Public Schools and Virginia Beach City Public Schools, among others.
According to a PWCS release, the initiative and additional funding will provide summer enrichment programs for middle school students. The press release stated these summer programs will be a student’s first introduction to the CTE offerings within PWCS’ high schools.
“Middle school is a critical time for each student to identify and recognize their strengths and aptitudes, and to start thinking about potential career interests they may want to explore,” Christine Good, the supervisor of career-technical education (CTE) at PWCS, said.
Through CodeHS, a company started by Stanford students to teach others coding, will be providing curriculum for the summer program and professional development for teachers.
PWCS will also be partnering with the Mason Game and Technology Academy at George Mason to provide middle and high school opportunities to program using Python and Unity. The project is also funding paid internships for high school students at George Mason’s Department of Information and Instructional Technology.
