Jordan Middle School Wins $25,000 Grant

The Georgia Department of Education (GDE) has awarded a $25,000 grant to Gwinnett County's Jordan Middle School to help it implement computer coding programs. The funds, which were awarded to 20 schools in 19 school districts across the state, specifically target middle schools in rural, underserved, or high-poverty school clusters, GDE said in a news release.

The funding is intended to assist middle schools with implementing a computer coding curriculum, computer science-related professional development and training, equipment purchases, and the establishment of computer science certification pathways, GDE added.

“Georgia is the Silicon Valley of the South,” Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan said in the release. “Our state is home to a world-class tech industry which could realistically become the Technology Capital of the entire East Coast. However, the growth of the tech sector – which will create more high-paying job opportunities for Georgians – is contingent upon our educating students to a 21st century standard. This program, which allows students to get hands on coding experience in middle school, will put our students on a pathway to success and allow our state’s booming tech industry to continue expanding.”

The grant was first offered in 2018 and is part of CS4GA – an initiative focused on making Georgia a national leader in computer science by developing and delivering high-quality courses, resources and professional learning; increasing the number of CS endorsements held by educators; and expanding the integration of CS throughout the K-12 curriculum.