Professional Development

Infosys NSF DonorsChoose Partner on Computer Science Professional Development Initiative

• By Leila Meyer
• 05/02/16

Infosys Foundation USA has partnered with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and DonorsChoose.org to launch the Computer Science [CS] for All Community Giving program, which will provide as many as 2,000 teachers with professional development in computer science education.

Through the program, grade 6-12 public school teachers can create project requests to attend computer science professional development programs. Local communities can sponsor those requests, and Infosys Foundation USA will match the community-funded donations.

When teachers create the project requests, they can select one of the professional development programs associated with the initiative. Some of the evidence-based frameworks that teachers will have the opportunity to access through this program include Exploring Computer Science (ECS), CS Principles and Bootstrap, all of which were developed with support from the NSF.

Together, Infosys Foundation USA and the NSF have committed $6 million to define an end-to-end approach to computer science education, develop new evidence-based curricula and develop sustainable funding mechanisms to ensure teachers are trained effectively in computer science instruction, according to a news release.

According to information from Infosys Foundation USA, this program has the potential to affect up to 60,000 students in the first academic year and will "especially benefit teachers and students in districts with significant funding challenges and limited or no access to computer science education," stated a news release.

"This CS for All community giving model pioneers a sustainable funding approach that puts the power back in the hands of the stakeholders — teachers, students, citizens and especially parents," said Vandana Sikka, chairperson of Infosys Foundation USA, in a prepared statement. "Skills learned through CS education are essential for success in tomorrow's workforce. Investing in CS professional development and training the teachers creates a multiplier effect that expands the learning opportunities for our students especially in under-served communities. The crowd-funding dimension of this initiative has the potential to be transformational. It accelerates the impact of this public-private funding and enables us to solve the CS teacher shortage in a unique new way."

Further information about the Computer Science [CS] for All Community Giving program can be found on the DonorsChoose.org site.