Education Secretary joins RI leaders, students to celebrate computer sciences

By Tessa Roy
Posted 12/6/16

Rhode Island leaders and schools kicked off Computer Science Education Week by welcoming a high-caliber guest to the state Monday. U.S. Secretary of Education John King, accompanied by Governor Gina Raimondo, Senator Jack Reed, and Rhode

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Education Secretary joins RI leaders, students to celebrate computer sciences

Posted

Rhode Island leaders and schools kicked off Computer Science Education Week by welcoming a high-caliber guest to the state Monday. U.S. Secretary of Education John King, accompanied by Governor Gina Raimondo, Senator Jack Reed, and Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Ken Wagner, visited West Warwick High School for discussion and demonstrations at the school’s Computer Science for Rhode Island (CS4RI) classes.

“This is a huge honor and a privilege. We’re thrilled that we were chosen as the school to highlight CS4RI,” said West Warwick Superintendent Karen Tarasevich. “The town and the school department have worked really hard over the past couple of years on a fiscal stability plan so because of that, we’re performing very well. It’s staged us to be able to participate in these initiatives…It’s a big day for us.”

Computer science teacher Haley Winsor was also excited to show the leaders what the students knew.

“We’re really excited to be able to show everybody what we’ve been doing in the computer science classes,” she said. “The kids have really taken a liking to it and those just starting are making lots of progress.”

Raimondo was also “honored” that Secretary King chose Rhode Island as the place to begin Computer Science Education Week, saying Rhode Island topped the list of states providing its students with computer science opportunities.

“That’s because of you guys,” she told the students.

Raimondo said that, according to The Department of Labor and Training, there would be 4,000 job openings in Rhode Island in computer and math jobs by the year 2022. Those jobs, she said, will be ready for CS4RI students like those at West Warwick High School.

During a roundtable, the students discussed programs they’d used, Java, Python, Autocad, among others, in their CS4RI classes. Panelists also discussed a gender gap in computer science, but Winsor said she hasn’t seen any girls “shy away” from showing an interest in the field. Jim Monti, Director of Educational Reform, Compliance, and IT, said West Warwick’s classes help students prepare for the future and he was happy they had the opportunity to prove this to state and national leaders.

“I think it’s a great testament to the work that’s done by our teachers in students in the school district,” he said. “It really shows that when you trust students and you trust adults and you give them the right resources, magical work happens.”

Indeed, West Warwick’s CS4RI students are putting the “magical” work to practical use – senior Rose Shayer said she and a friend used Autocad to redesign the school’s parking lot to have slanted spaces that would create a more steady flow of traffic. The leaders expressed admiration for the students’ work.

“What’s clear is how enthusiastic the students are about the opportunity to learn computer science and one of the students I was talking to now wants to be a computer science teacher, which is fantastic because we have a huge need for computer science teachers around the country,” King said. “It’s also clear that Rhode Island is doing a great job mobilizing the entire state behind a computer science for all effort.”

King said President Barack Obama has proposed investing another $4 billion in computer science education for teacher training and expanding opportunities, and that he was counting on Senator Reed in being a partner in advocating for those resources.

Reed said West Warwick was putting students on a great educational path.

“The young women and men here are quite sophisticated. I was amazed at their grasp of programming,” he said. “There’s a real interest, and they’re excited…every job in America is going to be influenced by computers.”

Raimondo emphasized the importance of the class’s interactive aspects.

“I was incredibly impressed with the students. They’re all happy that this is a hands-on curriculum. It’s not just someone talking at them. They’re very engaged in the learning,” she said.

Governor Raimondo also announced a partnership with the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, Johnson & Wales University and Bryant University to introduce coursework leading to a minor in Web Development. Thanks to CS4RI courses, some Rhode Island high school students, including those at West Warwick High School, will be able to arrive at college with up to a third of their minor already completed.

Later on, King, Reed, Wagner and Raimondo also visited Providence Career and Technical Academy to receive demonstrations from and meet with students there.

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  • bendover

    Oh RUBBISH...Face time for embarrassed politicians, an outgoing Sec. of Education, who now has no relevance and a Governor so far over her head it is no longer funny...You want to talk of education, this failed administration and obama, just look at his hometown, Chicago...Epic failure. You idiots are for education, why foist a $200M expenditure on RIC and URI and Brown for a former National Grid building that you couldn't give away, and that they didn't want? Talk about misplaced priorities....yikes!

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