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Computer Science Immersion Program to Start in Monrovia Schools
Education Jul 20, 2016
The campaign is aimed to help students miss less than five days of the school year. – Courtesy photo
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Code To The Future was recently recognized by the White House as the nation’s leading provider of computer science programs. – Courtesy photo
Starting this fall, the Monrovia Unified School District will be bringing a new computer science immersion program to Mayflower and Plymouth elementary school. The program, developed by the creators of Code To The Future, the nation’s leading computer science program for K-12 schools, will use such tools as Minecraft to create a cutting edge program for the students at these schools. The White House recognized Code To The Future as the leader in computer science magnet schools in January 2016.
“I am thrilled that the leaders in computer science education have selected our district to be among the first in Los Angeles County to offer this unique approach to education,” said Katherine Thorossian, Monrovia Unified School District superintendent. “We’re honored by the selection.”
The partnership comes as a small but growing number of schools around the country are using computer science and games like Minecraft to help students learn everything from math to language skills. In doing so, they leverage the explosive popularity of a game that has surpassed 100 million registered users.
Andrew Svehaug, CEO of Code To The Future, is familiar with the use of Minecraft, having worked closely with the COO of Mojang (makers of Minecraft) on a joint-presentation about this movement in London, and having presented to US Department of Education executives in a TEDx Talk in April at Qualcomm Headquarters.
The Monrovia Unified School District is helping to lead the way in capitalizing on computer science’s potential as a teaching tool. In teaming up with Code To The Future, the district will offer the two computer science immersion programs beginning in August.
Code To The Future officials decided to visit Monrovia after meeting district officials and hearing about what was happening in the district. The partnership will result in the concentration of computer science programs at Plymouth and Mayflower Elementary Schools, where every student, from kindergarten through grade five, will have an opportunity to develop coding skills as part of the daily curriculum.
A Gallup poll released in August reports that over 90 percent of parents in the United States desire more computer science education opportunities for their students, but only 6 percent of US School Leaders perceive this demand.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be a 1 million job gap by 2020, with American students being unprepared for the skills that American companies are demanding.
“Monrovia is taking strong steps to become a leading district for computer science,” Svehaug said. “We are looking forward to partnering with the Monrovia team.”
Parents interested in learning more about the new computer science schools can contact Jennifer Maljian, instructional coach with the Monrovia Unified School District, at (626) 471-2039.
