The Jackson County School District is one of 17 around the state receiving money for new courses. The Georgia Department of Education will provide $500,000 to help school districts implement middle-school computer coding programs. State School Superintendent Richard Woods made the announcement Wednesday.
The funds will specifically target middle schools in rural, underserved or high-poverty school clusters. Districts cover all regions of the state, including Appling, Jasper, and Savannah-Chatham counties. Each grant includes funding for equipment, training, curriculum, and teacher professional development.
Every Georgia school district was eligible to apply for up to four school-based grants.
“Georgia students need to graduate ready for 21st-century careers – we can’t be complacent and rely on the way we’ve always done things, and we can’t wait until high school to start preparing our kids,” Superintendent Woods said. “Coding and computer science is a piece of that puzzle. This funding and these new courses for middle-school computer coding are part of the broader work we’re doing at the Department to expand opportunities for students in Georgia’s public schools.”
The awarded districts are:
Appling County
Atlanta Public Schools
Ben Hill County
Savannah-Chatham County
Dougherty County
Gwinnett County
Jackson County
Jasper County
Jefferson County
Liberty County
Muscogee County
Griffin-Spalding County
Taliaferro County
Thomas County
Warren County
Wheeler County
Whitfield County
