City of Baker Schools to serve as pilot to innovative approach to computer science education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2023
Baker, LA – Baton Rouge STEM (BRSTEM) announced this morning the receipt of a $15,000 grant from the Scratch Foundation as part of the foundation’s commitment to equitable creative coding. BRSTEM has participated in the foundation’s Scratch Education Collaborative – a transformative initiative aimed at strengthening organizations’ commitment to equitable creative computing – for the past year where BRSTEM’s founder and Executive Director, Eric B. Lewis has had the opportunity to network with and learn from organizations around the world who utilize Scratch to teach coding to students in their local communities.
“We’re tremendously grateful for the support of the Scratch Foundation. The ability to expand our work with the City of Baker Schools, is another step in our mission of integrating STEM into classroom learning in alignment with college and career readiness standards,” shared Eric B. Lewis, BRSTEM founder and Executive Director.
The grant will be used to create coding lessons that can be used in the traditional core subjects of English-Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. As part of the project, Baker Heights Elementary and Park Ridge Academic Magnet will be used as pilot sites for the instructional implementation of all coding lessons. BRSTEM will provide professional development for the school’s teachers throughout the year.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to partner with BRSTEM and expose our students to the fun and exciting ways of reinforcing their content learning through coding,” stated Dr. Lisa Smothers, Supervisor of Accountability and Assessments for the City of Baker Schools.
The project will kick-off with the school district’s beginning of the year professional development. Teachers will be trained on the Scratch coding tool and ways their students can use Scratch to create coding projects to tell stories and illustrate what they’ve learned in each of the four core subjects.
Elaine Atherton, Head of Programs at the Scratch Foundation, praised the organization’s efforts, stating, “The work that Baton Rouge STEM is doing is exemplary of what we hope to achieve in the Scratch Education Collaborative. By utilizing the grant to integrate creative coding into traditional core subjects, they demonstrate how creative coding can be a powerful tool for students to learn about many subjects, beyond computer science. We’re thrilled to support BRSTEM in their work to create connections to STEM in the classroom and in life.”
About Baton Rouge STEM
Baton Rouge STEM is a STEM development program for youth and professional educators with the mission of integrating STEM into classroom learning in alignment with college and career readiness standards.
That’s Great! As a Pre – K Teacher and volunteer of your program do you think that l can get my Kids involved ! 😉