Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that more than 1,300 students had so far signed up for online coding classes this fall.
More than 1,300 Arkansas high-school students signed up over the summer for online computer coding education, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday.
In addition, 130 Arkansas teachers received professional development training to teach computer science this school year, as mandated by Hutchinson’s legislation passed earlier this year that places computer science in all Arkansas high schools.
The student count doesn’t include those students who are expected to enroll in computer science courses delivered from the classroom this fall. Sixty-two teachers will be teaching computer science in-house and 87 schools applied for professional development grants for their teachers.
Online students will be taught through the Virtual Arkansas program. In addition, Hutchinson said the state’s Computer Science Task Force has recommended development of a comprehensive K-12 computer science curriculum.
Hutchinson said the initiative has exceeded his expectations for the first year and hopes “a couple of hundred” students will sign up for computer science courses in the classroom.
“This initiative has a significant amount of momentum,” he said, noting his goal of enrolling 6,000 students in computer science in the program’s first four years.
Final online and classroom enrollment numbers for the fall will be available once school districts submit their initial enrollment numbers to the state in October, said Anthony Owen, computer science coordinator for the Arkansas Department of Education.
(Previously: Owen talked to Arkansas Business in June about the new computer science initiative.)
Students will begin with Essentials of Computer Programming. The curriculum will be the same online and in the classroom, but Owen said local teachers instructing “face-to-face” will have flexibility to make adjustments.
“The base learning objective will be the same, but local schools are encouraged to design a curriculum based on the needs of the students and the community,” he said.
Arkansas business leaders have recognized the development of tech talent as critical to the growth of the state’s emerging tech startup ecosystem. Just this year, private coding schools have been opened in Little Rock and Fayetteville, and other student coding programs have been launched in central and northwest Arkansas.
Hutchinson also announced the Head of the Class Bash scheduled for Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. His office is hosting the event in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, the AT&T Foundation and the Arkansas STEM Coalition.
It will include an Hour of Code event, which Hutchinson calls the kick-off event for computer science in Arkansas, and at which kids can receive free coding training. It is one of multiple Hour of Code events planned across the state over the next year. The Arkansas STEM Coalition is providing 70 laptops to be used at the events through a $25,000 donation from the AT&T Foundation.
Hutchinson, in re-emphasizing the importance of computer science for Arkansas students, recognized that some schools in the state historically are “ahead of the curve” while the subject represents “new territory” for others.
“Hopefully this initiative will close the gap,” he said.
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