The Computer Science for All (CSforALL) movement and Air Force Junior ROTC announced yesterday that 30 schools have been selected to join a partnership aimed at bridging the computer science education gap. Currently, only 32% of Junior ROTC high schools offer an Advanced Placement (AP) computer science course.
Air Force Junior ROTC is one of the Air Force’s largest educational programs operating in almost 900 high schools across the country and 15 overseas locations. More than 125,000 students in 9th through 12th grades are enrolled in a disciplined environment, wrapped in aerospace and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-related learning opportunities.
The initial cohort of 30 schools from 16 states will receive training, professional development for teachers and Junior ROTC instructors, and internship, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for the students.
Collectively, the thirty selected schools serve more than 4,000 Junior ROTC cadets and nearly 55,000 students. Half of the selected schools qualify as Title 1 (more than 50% of students receiving free or reduced lunch), and the total student population served is 58% minority and 48% female.
“The Junior ROTC offers a uniquely scalable opportunity to rapidly grow and diversify the pool of talent entering computing and cybersecurity careers,” said Ruthe Farmer, chief evangelist for CSforALL. “These young people are already preparing to be leaders. In today’s environment, technology must be part of that preparation. ”
The contributions of the piloting schools will inform the development of a scalable model for computer science and cybersecurity education to be deployed across the nationwide JROTC network of over 3400 high schools.
“Air Force Junior ROTC is committed to developing young citizens that exhibit responsibility, character, and leadership. Whether they enter public service or the private sector, we know preparation in technology will be critical to their success,” said Col. Stephen Sanders, Director, Air Force Junior ROTC. “We are grateful to our JROTC unit leaders and host schools for contributing to this project.”
The JROTC-CS Demonstration Project is a partnership led by CSforALL in collaboration with the JROTC-CS Advisory Consortium. Members include The College Board, Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot, U.S. Air Force Junior ROTC HQ, Capital One, Google, Intel Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Mississippi State University, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center, SANS Institute, Snap Inc., and the Internet Institute
“With the changing needs of our economy and the armed services, it is vital that we provide training in the technical skills that will best serve our students for their future,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), who introduced the JROTC Cyber Training Act in the House last year. “I’m thrilled to see so many organizations and schools stepping up to support this innovative approach to talent development and support the JROTC Cyber Training Act.”
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