Microsoft CEO Announces $75 Million for Computer Science education expansion

West Seattle and Sealth High Schools will benefit from TEALS program

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced on Sept. 16 a new commitment of $75 million in community investments over the next three years to increase access to computer science (CS) education for all youth, and especially for those from under-represented backgrounds.

This new investment has a significant impact in Washington State, particularly in West Seattle:
· As part of this investment, Microsoft will expand its Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) program to 11 new schools in Washington state this fall, including Chief Sealth High School and West Seattle High School. This brings Washington’s number of TEALS schools to 57, up from 46 last school year.

· The program’s local growth is part of Microsoft’s nationwide expansion of TEALS. The U.S. program, which started in 2009, aims to grow five-fold over the next three years, with the goal of working with 2,000 tech industry volunteers to reach 30,000 students in nearly 700 schools across 33 states.

TEALS is a Microsoft YouthSpark program that recruits, trains, mentors and places high-tech professionals who are passionate about bringing computer science education into high schools as volunteer teachers in a team teaching model.

· TEALS provides schools with both curricula and highly qualified volunteer teachers for computer science courses without any training or development costs to the schools themselves.

· Because TEALS teachers always team teach with a school teacher, the school teachers can learn the course material and further down the line, teach some of the courses by themselves.

· In Washington:
o During the TEALS pilot year in Washington state, 10 TEALS volunteers partnered with four Puget Sound area high schools, reaching 250 students.
o Today, TEALS is in 57 Washington state high schools.