BootUp Partnering with Hamilton County School District to Contribute to National Computer Science for All Movement

With 127 Organizations Nationwide, BootUp PD Makes New Commitment to Expand Computer Science Education In Chattanooga, TN

BootUp receiving support from Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon’s childhood-to-career computer science education initiative focused on students in need

Chattanooga, TN, December 10, 2020 — The CSforALL movement to bring computer science to all US students marked a major growth milestone. Along with 127 organizations, BootUp PD has made a commitment to advance computer science education access and opportunity for youth across the United States at the 2020 CSforALL Commitments Showcase.

“Our CSforAll commitments aim to close equity gaps by enabling professional computer science learning for teachers in deserving communities throughout the nation,” said Clark Merkley, BootUp’s Executive Director. “We’re extremely proud to be a part of something that will have a measurable, positive impact for decades to come.”

#CSforALL commitments are new, specific, and measurable actions aimed at advancing the goal of rigorous and inclusive computer science education for all U.S. youth, and are designed to grow support and momentum for a sustainable K-12 computer science education system in and out of school. Notably, 29 organizations have made a #CSforALL commitment annually since 2017. To continue the trend, in 2020, 78 organizations have returned to make a commitment at least twice. The commitments include investments in 34 individual states, three commitments with a nationwide focus, and five commitments with an international focus.

“The collective impact and systems-level change that the CS education community is making through #CSforALL commitments are pushing us all forward toward the goal of rigorous, inclusive, and sustainable CS for all youth,” Ruthe Farmer, Chief Evangelist, CSforALL.

The Amazon Future Engineer sponsorship funds BootUp’s onsite, or virtual, professional development for 42 elementary schools in Hamilton County Schools, impacting more than 21,700 students from underserved communities and groups currently underrepresented in tech as part of its Amazon Future Engineer program. Hamilton County Schools is part of Amazon Future Engineer’s expansion to more than 5,000 U.S. schools, 1,000 of which will be elementary schools.

“Learning computer science skills early gives children agency over an increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated world. To be future-ready, I believe every child should be encouraged to code! I am excited for elementary teachers in Hamilton County to join the Amazon Future Engineer initiative and to participate in BootUp Professional Development. I look forward to supporting teachers as they blend coding lessons with innovative teaching practices to grow the foundational computer science, engineering, and collaborative skills in students and themselves,” said Michelle Bettis, Technology Integration Coach, Hamilton County Schools.

As the U.S. continues to grapple with COVID-19 and racial injustice in a year full of obstacles and surprises, the need to bring rigorous and equitable computer science education to prepare ALL students for a successful future is more urgent than ever. Fortunately, the systems in place to expand that critical access is getting a significant boost through 163 new commitments from 126 organizations to advance computer science education access and opportunity for youth across the United States and beyond.

About BootUp Professional Development: BootUp PD is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit with experience implementing district-wide elementary computer science initiatives that focus on creativity and problem-solving. Since 2015, BootUp has worked with 475 elementary schools in fifteen states, directly impacting over 1,000 educators and 150,000 students. BootUp prepares teachers to facilitate open-ended coding projects in the free platforms Scratch and ScratchJr that are not only project-based, but also personally meaningful. Students pick something that is interesting to them and find a way to explore that interest with code through design, music, art, animation, games, or stories.

About CSforALL: CSforALL is the national hub of the computer science for all movement with a mission to make high-quality computer science an integral part of K-12 education in the United States. Our three-pillar approach; Support Local Change, Increase Rigor and Equity, and Grow the Movement, directs our work across a national and local spectrum to provide equitable and accessible K-12 computer science education to every student. We engage with diverse stakeholders leading computer science initiatives across the nation to support and facilitate implementation of rigorous, inclusive and sustainable computer science. For more information: www.csforall.org Twitter: @CSforALL