Google Grant to Support Computer Science State Plan

On Jan 27, 2022

The CS4NJ Coalition was recently awarded a $56,000 grant from Google.org to support New Jersey’s Computer Science State plan by helping prepare teachers to implement CSforALL in K-12 schools across New Jersey. The New Jersey Department of Education and the Governor’s Computer Science Advisory Board created the NJ Computer Science State Plan in 2019 to outline steps to implement quality and equitable computer science education for all students in New Jersey.

NJ Student Learning Standards for Computer Science were adopted in 2020 that requires all students in K-8 to learn Computer Science and all high schools to offer Computer Science starting in September 2022. With 1.4 million students in NJ and only a small fraction (less than 10%) taking Computer Science currently, thousands of teachers will need to learn Computer Science and computational thinking skills to be able to fully implement the standards effectively. “Lack of Computer Science education creates inequality and limits opportunities, particularly for females and students of color” says Daryl Detrick, Director of CS4NJ. “We need to make sure in today’s digital society that all students learn the foundational skills of Computer Science and Computational Thinking starting in elementary school.”

Governor Murphy has allocated $4.8 million in funding for computer science education and professional development over the past 4 years, part of which was used to develop three computer science teaching hubs at Rutgers, Kean and Fairleigh Dickinson Universities to provide professional development. The generous grant from Google will help CS4NJ to collaborate with the NJ CS Hubs and NJDOE to prepare more teachers for the implementation of CSforAll. “We know that providing students access to quality STEM education starts with equipping teachers and educators with the right training and tools,” said Sarah Henderson, Google’s Senior Manager for Tech Education NYC. “Google is proud to be supporting the CS4NJ Coalition in helping teachers implement Governor Murphy’s NJ Computer Science State Plan.”

“We are very fortunate to have Google as a member in the CS4NJ Coalition to help in our efforts ensure all students have access to quality and equitable Computer Science education,” said Detrick. “We appreciate their generous support to help make sure teachers are ready to implement the NJ CS Standards.”

You can find more about the CS4NJ Coalition and the NJ CS Action Plan at CS4NJ.org.

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