Betting on students
Microsoft this week said it's committing to spending $75 million in community investments over the next five years to increase access to computer science education for all youth, especially those from under-represented backgrounds.
It's an expansion of Microsoft's global YouthSpark initiative consisting of scores of nonprofit organizations all over the world. They'll receive cash donations and other forms of support to help provide computer science education with the larger goal of preparing young people with computational-thinking and problem-solving skills.
Microsoft's investment is perhaps not the most interesting thing going on in the technology sector, though with the recent social media buzz surrounding Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old student who brought a homemade clock to school and was subsequently put in handcuffs because teachers mistook it for a bomb, it's nice to see millions of dollars being poured into computer science education so that kids like Ahmed don't lose their passion for learning and tinkering.
"If we are going to solve tomorrow’s global challenges, we must come together today to inspire young people everywhere with the promise of technology," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. "We can’t leave anyone out. We’re proud to make this $75 million investment in computer science education to create new opportunities for students across the spectrum of diverse youth and help build a tech talent pipeline that will spark new innovations for the future."
One of the programs that's being expanded as a result of Microsoft's investment is Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS). It pairs technology professionals from various fields with classroom teachers to teach computer science in U.S. high schools. The hope is that TEALS will see a fivefold expansion in the next three years, resulting in a reach of 2,000 tech industry volunteers and 30,000 students in 700 schools across 33 states.
"Computer science is a foundational subject — like algebra, chemistry or physics — for learning how the world works, yet it’s offered in less than 25 percent of American high schools," said Microsoft President Brad Smith.
That's a statistic Microsoft is hoping to change.
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