Denver, CO, March 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- mindSpark Learning, a Denver-based national nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with industry-oriented professional learning experiences, announced today it has partnered with Girls Who Code (GWC) to bring free computer science (CS) learning resources to 3rd-5th and 6th-12th grade girls across the country.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that computing occupations make up 67% of all projected new jobs in STEM fields. While the opportunity is there, GWC found that less than a quarter of computing jobs are held by women and that number is estimated to decline to 22% in the next seven years. In order to reduce gender disparity in CS fields, mindSpark Learning, like Girls Who Code, strongly believes it’s imperative to introduce coding and CS to girls at an early age and continue to provide CS resources through high school.
As a national partner, mindSpark Learning will share GWC resources with its network of schools across the country, assist districts and schools implementing Girls Who Code clubs and connect with the GWC network to share its professional learning opportunities to a broader audience. The partnership enables mindSpark Learning to work with the renowned Girls Who Code staff to impact educators and students with computer science training and most up-to-date resources.
“At mindSpark Learning, dismantling the STEM gender bias and creating equity among schools, communities and industry are passions of ours. Our team is dedicated to bringing the latest professional development to school districts across the country to better equip educators for teaching the future workforce,” said mindSpark Learning CEO Kellie Lauth. “We are thrilled to partner with Girls who Code in order to make computer science resources and support more accessible for schools that are working to empower their female students."
“We are thrilled to formalize our partnership with mindSpark Learning and make strides together to close the gender gap in technology,” said Ellie Canter, Girls Who Code Regional Partnership Coordinator for Colorado. By working with mindSpark Learning, we will reach thousands of educators across the country who are growing a diverse pipeline of young women equipped with the computing skills needed to reshape the tech sector.”
This latest partnership compliments mindSpark Learning’s computer science professional development offerings and STEMpath, its educators STEM certification program. To learn more about how mindSpark Learning supports computer science, please visit https://www.mymindsparklearning.org/computer-science. Additionally, STEMpath and Spring 2020 registration details can be found at www.mymindsparklearning.org/stempath.
About mindSpark Learning
mindSpark Learning, a Denver-based national nonprofit founded as Share Fair Nation in 2007 and rebranded in 2017, is the catalyst and intermediary between education and industry. It empowers educators with industry-oriented professional learning experiences, resulting in more students prepared for the modern workforce. It does so by leading programs and services designed to help schools understand workforce development, participate in work-based learning experiences, foster career literacy and directly connect students to mentors and authentic opportunities at a young age. Its core areas of focus are critical to today’s education landscape and include problem-based learning (PBL) STEM, EdTech, Social-emotional learning (SEL) and Equity-centered Design Thinking. These lay the foundation for skills that are inherently necessary for career success.
mindSpark Learning is re-engineering education by incorporating the voice of community leaders in a variety of fields - from education, to industry, to government. To date, mindSpark Learning has impacted more than 15,401 educators in 1,041 schools across 41 states. For more information, please visit www.mymindsparklearning.org.
About Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit seeking to inspire, educate, and equip girls with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. Girls Who Code has served over 185,000 students across the U.S. and Canada since launching in 2012. Our alumni major in Computer Science and related fields at a rate 15 times higher than the national average. Half of the girls we have served are from historically underrepresented groups.
Our Girls Who Code Clubs are FREE programs for 3-5th and 6-12th grade girls to join our sisterhood of supportive peers and role models, and use computer science to change the world. For more information, please visit www.girlswhocode.com.
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