Following its education event in Chicago yesterday, during which it launched a new iPad, Apple has today announced a collaboration with Chicago Public Schools and Northwestern University to provide free professional education to teachers in Chicago, for the purpose of enabling the teachers to bring coding and computer science to their classrooms.
“Teachers make a world of difference in their students’ lives, and we owe so much of our own success to their creativity, hard work and dedication,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “At Apple, we believe every student should have the opportunity to learn to code and we are thrilled to help provide new learning opportunities for Chicago-area teachers so they can bring coding into their classrooms.”
Apple, Chicago Public Schools, and Northwestern University will together set up a Center for Excellence at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. This new center will be a teaching and learning hub where high school teachers will be able to train in Apple’s Everyone Can Code curriculum in order to teach it to their students.
Teachers taking part in the program will also be able to take the App Development with Swift course, which will hopefully help to solve the current national shortage of high school computer science teachers.
Apple is already involved in a program with the city of Chicago to offer coding opportunities to Chicago’s 500,000 students.
“There’s no better place than Chicago Public Schools — the first urban school district to make computer science a graduation requirement — to see the benefit that computer science instruction is having on students,” said Dr. Janice K. Jackson, CEO of Chicago Public Schools. “Our innovative collaboration with Apple and Northwestern will prepare more educators to lead 21st Century classrooms and help ensure Chicago students have the resources, support and high-quality instruction needed to become tomorrow’s leaders.”
Apple will develop the teacher training program in conjunction with Northwestern University, with Northwestern professors leading the sessions.
“We strive to bring Northwestern's research, teaching, and service missions together in our local communities to make lives better in our hometowns of Chicago, Evanston and beyond,” said David Figlio, Dean of Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy. “By collaborating with visionary companies like Apple and the education experts in the Chicago Public Schools, we have the chance to do something transformative for Chicago and the world.”
Along with the teaching programs, Apple will also provide iPads, Macs, carts and accessories to the Center for Excellence.
Source: Apple announces new effort to bring coding to Chicago teachers
