The C Spire Foundation is continuing its commitment to K-12 students in Mississippi through a $180,000 donation to Mississippi State University that further supports STEM and the development and implementation of online computer science classes. The initiative builds on the C Spire Foundation’s $1 million donation in 2021 to help train more than 3,000 K-12 teachers after the Mississippi Legislature passed House Bill 633, requiring all K-12 public schools in the state to teach computer science by the 2024-2025 academic year.
To help schools meet the legislative requirement and fulfill the need for qualified computer science teachers, the C Spire Foundation has partnered with the Center for Cyber Education at MSU to provide high schools with free access to quality computer science courses for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.
“We recognize the importance of improving lives through technology,” said Beth Pickering, president and executive director of the C Spire Foundation. “We remain committed to supporting the best STEM education, digital literacy, and professional skills development for students in our region, and collaboration with organizations such as the Center for Cyber Education help make this a reality.”
As part of this initiative, the Center for Cyber Education plans to offer two online courses: Exploring Computer Science and Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP). While the instruction for these courses will take place online with qualified Mississippi teachers, schools are expected to provide a classroom space and facilitator for students to participate in the course during their regular school day. Exploring Computer Science is an introductory course with six units covering human-computer interaction, problem-solving, web design, introduction to programming, computing and data analysis, and robotics. AP CSP is an introductory college-level computing course that introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science.
“Collaborating with a partner such as the C Spire Foundation, that not only acknowledges the significance of computer science education for students, but also consistently contributes financially to advance our state, speaks volumes,” said Shelly Hollis, director of the Center for Cyber Education at Mississippi State University. “Our mutual commitment has directly impacted the growth we have seen in teachers empowered through computer science training and the number of students enrolled in computer science courses across the state.”