Douglas County Schools held a special assembly to announce its “Computer Science for All” initiative with partners Google, Code.org, Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Math, Science and Computing and the Georgia Department of Education.

The first-of-its-kind program in Georgia will provide increased opportunities for students across all grade levels in Douglas County to study Computer Science, a growing, high-demand industry and worldwide economic driver.

Over the next three years, the Douglas County Computer Science Task Force will work to develop teacher capacity and integrate CS into existing math and science classes as well as create courses solely focused on CS foundational and advanced skills.

“Providing access to Computer Science education and training is a critical step for ensuring that Douglas County’s students are positioned to compete for well-paying jobs post-graduation while  simultaneously helping to keep our nation competitive in the global economy and bolster its cybersecurity,” said Elaine Wood, Douglas County School System STEM Coordinator.

“Last year, there were more than 600,000 tech jobs open across the United States, and by 2018, 51 percent of all STEM jobs are projected to be in CS-related fields.”

The idea for the initiative began with a $100,000 grant from Google to Georgia Tech to support furthering CS education. Upon receiving the grant, Tech’s CEISMC Associate Director Chris Thompson reached out to Wood and offered to help develop a path for Douglas County Schools toward becoming a CS school system.

Since then, Wood, Thompson and the Douglas County Schools leadership has been working to design a strategic plan, leading them up to the announcement.

The new program will introduce students to CS and related careers in the technology sector as well as jobs in other growing industries that are using software to transform their products and services, including transportation, healthcare, education and financial services.

In addition to traditional learning techniques, the Computer Science for All program will rely heavily upon active and applied use of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math learning opportunities, including hands-on interaction with key field principles.

“Our program will allow students to become producers — not just consumers — in the digital economy, further advancing our school system’s vision of graduating students who are prepared to succeed in the 21st century” Wood said.

The complete K-12 curriculum is expected to be finalized by the start of the 2019-2020 term.