One Brooklyn
November 2, 2015
BOROUGH PRESIDENT JOINS EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, AND TECH INDUSTRY EXPERTS TO UNVEIL FIVE-POINT PLAN INCLUDING 100% BOROUGH PARTICIPATION IN HOUR OF CODE, INCREASED INVESTMENT IN CODING INFRASTRUCTURE, LEGISLATION TO MANDATE COMPUTER SCIENCE IN STATE CURRICULUM
BROOKLYN, NY, November 2, 2015: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams launched Code Brooklyn, his initiative with a mission to give every public school student in Brooklyn the opportunity of learning how to code. The announcement was made in the library of PS/MS 282 Park Slope School, a Title I institution in Park Slope serving a significant number of low-income families; their students will participate in the Hour of Code for the third straight year and will benefit from Borough President Adams’s Fiscal Year 2016 capital investment in the school’s coding initiative. Joined by educators, students, tech industry experts, and local elected officials, Borough President Adams spoke to the critical importance of preparing Brooklyn’s students for the local coding jobs to come; the Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently reported that the tech job growth rate in New York City from 2007-2014 was 57%, compared to 12% nationwide.
“Our future is being written in zeroes and ones, and coding will help our young people write that future while adding several zeroes to the ends of their salaries,” said Borough President Adams. “Code Brooklyn is a call to action for improving access to the job training and education necessary to compete in our 21st century economy. We need our students to be prepared to secure the jobs of today and tomorrow, as well as to grow from the quantitative and creative skills that come from exposure to computer science and coding.”
Borough President Adams presented his five-point plan for Code Brooklyn, starting with a call for every district school in the borough to participate in the Hour of Code, a global effort in over 180 countries to help demystify coding, during Computer Science Education Week this December; currently, over two hundred district schools have committed to take part. The plan includes an analysis from his office of the infrastructure needs in Brooklyn schools pertaining to their ability to support robust computer science programming, including the availability of STEM labs, smartboards, computer carts, general wiring, and Wi-Fi capability. The results of that assessment will lead to an internal report that will help determine allocations of the increased funding that Borough President Adams is committing in his upcoming capital budgets. Additionally, his Code Brooklyn plan calls for Brooklyn Borough Hall to serve as a go-between with schools and City Hall through the rollout of the Computer Science for All (CS4All) public-private partnership over the next decade, to ensure that resources regarding teacher training and staff development are assigned equitably and holistically. Finally, Borough President Adams announced that he is working with State Senator Diane Savino and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon on state legislation to make computer science a required part of the school curriculum, including a companion bill that would create a specific teacher accreditation for computer science.
“I thank Borough President Adams for his Code Brooklyn initiative to give every public school student in Brooklyn the opportunity to learn how to code,” said Assembly Member Simon. “Technology is changing so rapidly that by the time this year’s kindergarteners graduate high school, ‘college or career readiness’ will demand coding skills because robots will be making most of our goods. We need to prepare our children for a job market that will be dominated by computer science-related fields. It’s time that our city invests the time and resources to bridge the digital divide of economic inequality and provide all students, including students with physical, sensory or learning disabilities, with real opportunities to learn to code.”
“Through my funding of this year’s exciting new coding program at PS/MS 282, I’ve seen the importance of making sure that every child has the opportunity to develop his or her computer science knowledge,” said Council Member Brad Lander. “Coding is a critical skill that can propel students to success throughout their academic and professional careers. Along with support from Borough President Adams and a very invested school community, we’ve built the foundation for a fantastic coding program here at PS/MS 282. Thanks to both Mayor de Blasio’s continued support for improving access to computer science classes across New York City and Borough President Adams’s Code Brooklyn initiative, we have the capacity and commitment to build upon these foundations here and elsewhere. I’ve already seen how STEAM programming has expanded at schools across my district, like at PS 321, PS 10, and the Brooklyn New School, thanks to a highly supportive community of parents and teachers. Now through Code Brooklyn, we can create even more supportive environments for computer science education, just like the one we’ve built at PS/MS 282, in every school in the borough. I thank Borough President Adams for his commitment to the future of all Brooklyn’s students.”
“What starts as just one hour of code has the potential to shape a young mind, open up a lifetime of possibilities, and build New York’s future,” said Minerva Tantoco, chief technology officer for the City of New York. “We couldn’t be more pleased that Borough President Adams has joined Mayor de Blasio in pushing for computer science in all our public schools – a key part of Mayor de Blasio’s vision for making New York City the most tech-friendly, innovative and equitable city in the world.”
“Part of our mission is to provide students with learning experiences that prepare them for the real world and become college and career ready; coding is a critical element in that preparation,” said Rashaun Hoke, principal of PS/MS 282. “Coding broadens the range of our student’s experiences with technology. It encourages students to interact creatively with computers and develop their logic. We at PS/MS 282 are proud to support the Hour of Code.”
“100% participation in Hour of Code will not only increase awareness of CS4ALL, the citywide ten-year plan to get computer science in schools, but will also generate interest in computer science across Brooklyn’s many diverse neighborhoods – crucially among girls and traditionally underrepresented minorities in technology,” said Rob Underwood, lead organizer of Code Brooklyn and executive director of the TeachCS foundation. “Hour of Code activities are also a key first step to creating engaged parents and teachers within school communities who can sustain computer science programs over the long term.”
“The purpose of the Hour of Code is for kids and their school communities to try computer science as part of an exciting worldwide campaign,” said Hadi Partovi, co-founder and CEO of Code.org. “Borough President Adams and Code Brooklyn’s work to ensure all children in Brooklyn participate is fantastic. This is a first step in bringing 21st century opportunities to all, and it’s how we break stereotypes of who can learn this field.”
“I applaud Borough President Adams and Code Brooklyn for this remarkable commitment to K-12 computer science education,” said Diane Levitt, senior director of K-12 education at Cornell Tech. “As the National Chair of Computer Science Education Week, I think this computer science ‘tech jam’ is a wonderful start to bringing digital literacy to every student in Brooklyn. Given Mayor de Blasio’s recently announced initiative, CS4All, Brooklyn’s students will experience a terrific launch on their journey to computational literacy.”
“NPower believes that if students have the opportunity to learn code, and interact in a meaningful way with tech professionals, they will embrace tech careers and the robust learning opportunities that come with it,” said Mary Ellen Sullivan, director of the Community Corps for NPower. “That is why NPower is thrilled to be part of Borough President Adams’s Code Brooklyn initiative. It is a wonderful way to get students energized about technology, and it will only make Mayor de Blasio’s initiative, CS4All, that much more successful. We invite the tech community to sign up, get involved, and help us grow great career opportunities for all of Brooklyn’s students. We have the power, and by partnering with our schools, we can make it happen.”
Schools interested in taking part in the Hour of Code can sign up at hourofcode.com/codebrooklyn. Anyone interested in joining the more than 100 people volunteering in this effort can visit volunteer.codebrooklyn.org for more information.
PHOTOS
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams launches Code Brooklyn, his initiative with a mission to give every public school student in Brooklyn the opportunity of learning how to code, in the library of PS/MS 282 Park Slope School in Park Slope; he is joined by (from left to right) PS/MS 282 fifth grade student Mishka Braswell, PS/MS 282 Principal Rashaun Hoke, Community Corps Director for NPower Mary Ellen Sullivan, Cornell Tech K-12 Education Senior Director Diane Levitt, State Senator Jesse Hamilton, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, New York City Chief Technology Officer Minerva Tantoco, and Council Member Brad Lander.
Photo Credit: Stefan Ringel/Brooklyn BP’s Office
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