Feb 16, 2019 4 min read

“As little humans, they are ready to take on the world.”

That’s Central Greene Superintendent Helen McCracken’s philosophy about the youngest students in her district and why she applied for a state grant to teach computer coding to kindergartners and first graders.

Central Greene is one of seven school districts and two intermediate units in Southwestern Pennsylvania to receive targeted grants for computer science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.

McCracken said the students will not need a background with computers to learn coding, which looks like a computer game, but is about problem solving. It’s another way to help prepare them for the future workforce, where so many jobs will use technology, she said.

“I contend they can do it. This will be motivating and interesting and fun,” she said, adding that she plans to add it to other grades in the future.

Central Greene’s grant is for $35,000 and part of it must be spent on teacher training. The training will be this summer and the classes will start in the fall.

The grants are part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s PAsmart initiative, which will provide $20 million to bring computer science and STEM education to elementary, middle and high schools. On Monday, Wolf also announced that $9.6 million was being awarded to colleges and schools as a continuation of the effort. Among those receiving grants in the latest found are California University of Pennsylvania, which is receiving $172,115, and South Fayette Township School District, which will get $499,613.

“Over the next decade, seven in 10 new jobs in Pennsylvania will require workers to use computers and new technologies in a constantly changing economy,” Wolf said in a news release. “With these grants, more students will get the skills they need for emerging high-demand jobs. Through these investments we are building a well-trained workforce that will meet the needs of employers, strengthen the middle class, and grow the economy for everyone.”

In addition to helping schools introduce and expand computer science programming, the targeted grants will provide greater opportunities for students of color, low-income students and girls to learn critical skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce, state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said in the same news release.

“Equity continues to be an area of focus for Pennsylvania’s schools by providing access and opportunities to all students regardless of zip code,” he said. “The PAsmart targeted grants will help to address opportunity gaps, boosting participation among historically underserved and underrepresented student populations.”

West Greene School District also plans to use the $35,000 grant for coding, said academic director Jed Hamberger. He said the district plans to expand it into kindergarten through eighth grades.

Canon-McMillan School District already teaches coding in kindergarten through fourth grade, said Grace Lani, director of curriculum and instruction. She said Canon-McMillan will use its $35,000 grant to expand coding into fifth and sixth grades.

While Uniontown School District offers a small amount of coding in its high school computer science classes, the district plans to use the $35,000 grant to add coding to kindergarten through eighth grades, said Mary Wallace, education technology coordinator and instructional coach.

She said they are still working out the details of how it will be taught.

“Computer science is adaptable to all subject areas, but it’s most conducive to math and science,” she said.

Jefferson-Morgan will receive $10,000 and plans to use it to incorporate Project Lead the Way in second through fifth grade, said Superintendent Joseph Orr. Project Lead the Way is an engineering program for students. The district already uses it in upper grades and sees a benefit it teaching it to younger students, he said.

“It’s fully engaging our kids,” he said. “It’s neat to see them work with this information.”

The other districts in the area that received the grants are McGuffey and Burgettstown. Intermediate Unit 1 educational campuses at Colonial and Waynesburg and the Intermediate Unit 3 Mon Valley School also received grants. The maximum grant amount they could receive is $35,000.