“The WDE is excited to work with Microsoft and CSforALL on this project,” said Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jillian Balow. “The Wyoming Legislature gave us the directive to prepare students to compete in a world that is more and more technology based, by incorporating computer science education into our classrooms by 2023. A priority of the WDE is to provide districts with the support they need to succeed.”

“Computer science skills are going to be fundamental as employers in every industry from agriculture to transportation uses technology to innovate and compete in the economy,” said Dennis Ellis, manager of Microsoft’s TechSpark Wyoming, an initiative to partner with rural and smaller metropolitan communities to spark new economic opportunities and job creation. “Making computer science education an opportunity within reach of every student ensures Wyoming’s children can be future ready and will make our state attractive to public and private investments that can drive economic growth.”

Districts must apply to attend, and those serving substantially rural and under-served students will be given priority. Participants will include district leaders and school leaders, media/tech facilitators and educators teaching computer science.

Training will occur in five locations, including, Casper, Rock Springs, Cheyenne, Worland, and Gillette, and will be open to six districts in each location.

“Our WDE school support team worked hard with Microsoft to provide this support for schools,” Balow said. “We will continue to identify important resources as we implement computer science education.”