STEM Education
Google Launches Code Next Connect
Google’s free
computer science education program, Code
Next, is adding a virtual component and expanding into more states. The launch
of the virtual component of the program, called Code Next Connect,
was announced as part of Google’s Computer Science Education Week
activities yesterday.
The Code Next
program is aimed at black and Latinx high school students (primarily
grades 9 and 10, but open to all high school students), providing
training and experience in coding and leadership and offering
mentoring and other experiences for participants. The program was
originally available only to students in New York and California, but
it has now expanded to 16 different clubs available to students
throughout the United States. Programs are held in winter, spring and
fall. For the Connect program's winter and spring semesters, applications are open to any U.S.-based high school student who is at least 13 years old. The
application period closes Feb. 3. Prior coding experience is not
required. The Winter and Spring semesters each last nine weeks, and the program is free to all participants who are accepted to the program.
Said Shameeka
Emanuel, Diversity STEM Strategist, Code Next: “Recent research
shows that only 45 percent of U.S. schools offer computer science
(CS) courses, and that Black, Latinx and Female students especially
lack equitable access to a CS education. So I beat the odds: I am a
Black, female, computer engineer at Google.
She added: “Majoring
in systems and CS at Howard University opened up so many
opportunities in my life and career. Computing jobs are the number
one source of new wages in the U.S.; clearly, these skills are
becoming as important as reading and writing and we can’t afford to
leave anyone out. Code with Google is our commitment to closing
equity gaps in CS….”
In other Computer
Science Education Week news, Google also announced that its
philanthropic arm, Google.org,
has awarded a $5 million grant to the Scratch
Foundation yesterday. The Scratch Foundation is a coding
community for kids that supports the various Scratch projects.
(Scratch
itself is a programming language, suite of tools and online community
run by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.)
According to Google:
“The grant will go to several programs at Scratch including the new
Scratch Education Collaborative, a supportive model for K-8 students
typically underrepresented in creative learning/creative coding
initiatives.”
According to
Emanuel: “These new initiatives are a part of Google’s larger
commitment to CS education. Since 2013, Google.org has given more
than $80 million to organizations around the globe working to
increase access to high quality CS learning opportunities.”