Teaming up with Teach for America to bring more Computer Science to more students

Posted by Kate Berrio, CS First team

Classrooms full of middle schoolers aren’t often the quietest places, but in our new computer science (CS) and coding club called CS First, we’ve seen students quietly enthralled with their chance to code beats, send fashion models down the runway, or create stories that about their lives. To date, more than 6,000 students across the globe have taken part in a CS First club, and we’re excited for the many more who are about to join us through our new partnership with Teach for America.

This middle schooler just created something awesome with code

Joining forces with Teach for America (TFA) is a natural fit, since one-third of corps members currently teach a STEM subject. Together, we’ll be able to bring CS First to even more classrooms across the US and help shift students' relationship with computer science. One 7th grader says of his first experience: "Today I learned how to lay an underlying track on a song or music video. My favorite hip hop and rap artists do the same thing! Today was the best learning experience.”

And it’s not just for the students! Jaishri Shankar, an 8th grade science teacher at Kingstree Middle School in South Carolina, says:

"Since taking on the CS First curriculum, my students have a much more "down-to-earth" understanding of what computer science really is, and what's better is that they understand and believe that they can be computer scientists. It's not a lofty, complicated concept, but rather, a very attainable skill with tangible outcomes at the end of each session, and that gives them such a unique sense of thrill and accomplishment."

We’re excited for this partnership to kick off in January 2015, and we hope you’ll join us. No background in CS is necessary and we’ll give you all the right tools to just get going. And if you’re a current TFA Corps member, be sure to tell us so when you sign up.

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