Pluralsight, Inc., the technology skills and engineering management platform, announces that the company’s social enterprise, Pluralsight One, is partnering with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) to advance K-12 computer science education in Utah.
Through a product grant and technical support, the partnership will strengthen the technology skills of teachers and USBE staff to ensure educators have dynamic resources to adapt to increasingly digital teaching methods, meet the evolving needs of Utah’s students and embed computer science education into statewide curriculum.
Technology skills development
The multi-year partnership with USBE will support their staff’s technology skills development as well as educators, IT staff and school administrators in Utah’s 42 school districts plus all charter schools. Pluralsight One is providing a five-year, $38.95 million product grant supplemented by technology strategy development, content curation, and access to 10,000 Pluralsight Skills licenses for staff, teachers, IT professionals, administrators, and guidance counsellors.
“Providing Utah’s students with the skills they need to thrive is critically important and it starts with enabling our teachers who are the key to increasing computer science learning opportunities for students,” said Aaron Skonnard, Co-founder and CEO of Pluralsight.
Integrating computer science
Computer science encourages students to think critically, develop problem-solving skills
“The State Board of Education’s commitment to integrating computer science as a new foundational literacy is an investment in the future of Utah’s youth, and will prepare students for the future of work and to be powerful creators rather than passive consumers of technology.”
Computer science encourages students to think critically, develop problem-solving skills, and prepares the next generation of learners, teachers, and thinkers. However, only 54% of all public high schools in Utah teach computer science due in part to the small number of educators who are familiar with computer science concepts. The Pluralsight One and USBE partnership meets this lack of access head-on by supporting staff and teacher professional development through content that builds knowledge, equips them to teach, and enables them to be more powerful advocates for technology education and computer science, specifically.
Professional development opportunities
“Utah is fortunate to have great computer science expertise within our state,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson. “Our partnership with the technology sector is intended to improve teaching and learning, leading to expanded career opportunities for our students in the future.”
USBE’s mission is to prepare all students to succeed and lead by having the knowledge and skills to learn, engage civically, and lead meaningful lives. By accessing Pluralsight One’s resources and solutions, Utah’s K-12 educators and staff can now hone their skills for the classroom, build competencies that help them get endorsed, and ensure that continued professional development opportunities are readily available.
