The Friday Institute partners with educational leaders and policy makers from the school to national level to create opportunities for ALL students in North Carolina to explore Computer Science.
Updates
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New NCDPI Grant Will Facilitate Training of 1,100 Educators to Teach Computer Science in Every Middle and High School in North Carolina
A three-year $1.8 million grant from NCDPI will give the Friday Institute the ability to expand its computer science teacher professional learning program so every middle school and high school in North Carolina has a highly qualified computer science teacher.
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Wilson County Schools Partnership with Friday Institute to Provide More Opportunities for Students
Wilson County Schools has partnered with the Friday Institute to provide professional development for their instructors and help developing computer science courses for their middle and high school students.
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Code.org Collaborates with Friday Institute for New Virtual PD Model
In an effort to support Code.org partners across the country to deliver high-quality summer professional development, the Friday Institute has partnered with Code.org for their first-ever virtual summer workshop model in place of in-person workshops.
Why Computer Science?
Computer science opens more doors for students than any other discipline in today’s world. Learning even the basics will help students in virtually any career — from architecture to zoology.
Just as we teach students how to dissect a frog or how electricity works, it’s important for every 21st century student to have a chance to design an app or an algorithm or learn how the Internet works.
The CS4NC Computing Education Summit held in 2017 examined CS in North Carolina and identified needs, barriers, and opportunities.
Read the North Carolina Preliminary Landscape Report.
Parent and Student Demand
- A 2015 Gallup poll found that 9 out of 10 parents in NC want schools to teach computer science so our children grow up not just using technology but learning how to create it. In fact, among low-income families, the majority of parents and teachers believe that computer science should be required for students to learn!
- A survey of high school students shows that computer science ranks among students’ favorite subjects, behind only graphic design and performing arts.
Career Opportunities
- In North Carolina, there are currently over 18,000 open computing jobs, but only:
18%
of schools in NC teach AP Computer Science
1,425
students in NC took the AP exam in 2016
1,200
students graduated with a computer science degree in NC in 2016