CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has received $93,245 from Microsoft Corporation’s TechSpark initiative and the Digital Skills for Youth program. The award will support Computer Science teacher training as part of Boot Up Wyoming, a statewide initiative launched in 2018 to implement Computer Science in Wyoming K-12 schools.
“Microsoft has been a key partner in Boot Up Wyoming since day one,” said Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jillian Balow. “Funds from this Digital Skills for Youth grant keep us on-track to deliver the highest-quality Computer Science education to all Wyoming students.”
A portion of the grant will enable the WDE’s Boot Up Wyoming initiative to provide a second cohort of the Strategic CSforALL Resource & Implementation Planning Tool (SCRIPT) training for school districts. CSforALL is an organization dedicated to making Computer Science part of every K-12 student’s education. The SCRIPT training provides districts with strategic planning tools to think through what is needed to provide equitable, high-quality Computer Science education available to all students in their districts.
The Wyoming chapter of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) has emerged as a premiere professional learning network and a valuable resource for Computer Science educators across Wyoming. This grant provides resources to support this network and encourage teachers to learn together. The CSTA hosts monthly online Professional Learning Network meetings.
In addition, the grant will provide the WDE with support for developing high-quality Computer Science micro-credentials for secondary teachers and students.
“Wyoming was one of the first states to implement Computer Science education in grades K-12 – now almost every state offers it,” Balow said. “This funding helps us remain pioneers by enabling the WDE to continue to provide professional development to educators focused around Computer Science education.”
“Wyoming’s vision is that every student has the opportunity to be met where they are — at their skill-level, in their school — and be inspired to learn how technology works and how to build solutions to society’s challenges. We strongly support that vision.” said Dennis Ellis, manager of Microsoft’s TechSpark Wyoming, an initiative to partner with rural and smaller metropolitan communities to spark new economic opportunities and job creation.
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Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Communications Director
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov
