The nonprofit EducationNC (EdNC) recently published an article by NCSSM Director of Distance Education & Extended Programs Kendall Hageman on their website. The piece highlights how NCSSM is expanding access to computer science to students across North Carolina through distance education programs and curricula.
“Computer science (CS) is… an active and applied field of STEM learning that allows students to engage in hand-on, real world applications with key math, science, and engineering principles,” says Hageman in the piece, but “access to computer science courses remains a challenge.”
NCSSM strives to overcome this challenge through programs like the STEM Scholars Program, which partners with local public high schools to better prepare students in small rural schools, particularly students historically underrepresented in STEM fields, for advanced STEM opportunities; and computer science courses like Honors Computational Thinking & Coding: Solving Global Challenges with Computer Programming offered through NCSSM’s interactive videoconferencing program.
“Providing access to CS is a critical step for ensuring that our state remains competitive in the global economy,” says Hageman.
EdNC seeks to expand the educational opportunities for all children in North Carolina, increase their academic attainment, and improve the performance of the state’s public schools. EdNC provides the state with data, research, news, information, and analysis about the major trends, issues, and challenges facing public schools.