Roosevelt School District Receives $1.6M Grant for HS Coding Program

LongIsland.com

Hofstra University Partners with Roosevelt School District to Teach Students to Code.

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Students in the Roosevelt School District learn coding in the classroom as part of the District’s commitment to offering an advanced technological education.

Photo by: Roosevelt School District

Roosevelt, NY - October 20, 2017 - Roosevelt School District today announced it has been selected as a partner in Hofstra University’s STEM+ Computing (STEM+C) Program. This program is designed to help early high school students improve their skill in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by enhancing classroom technology instruction.
 
“This STEM+ Computing program is a wonderful addition to our existing STEM curriculum,” Said Dr. Marnie Hazelton, Superintendent of Schools for the Roosevelt Union Free School District. “We are always searching for new ways to enrich our STEM program, and we are honored that Hofstra University has selected us for this exclusive program. We constantly strive to ensure that our students are up-to-date on the latest technology, which will continue to benefit them throughout their academic and professional lives.”
 
Five Hofstra University professors specializing in a variety of STEM fields are involved in the STEM+C partnership. They will train high school teachers in different aspects of STEM as part of the program in order to facilitate integrating coding into their curriculums. The grant will also be used to purchase advanced computing and educational tools for students. The end goal of the STEM+C program is to equip Roosevelt students for the digital age by enabling them to build and expand on a strong foundation of coding in a variety of computer languages.   
 
“Our goal is to teach high school students the fundamentals of computer coding (writing programs and applications) in the context of a STEM course,” said Bret Bennington, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Geology, Environment and Sustainability, and principal investigator on the grant. “We believe that having students write applications themselves to model and investigate the concepts in the course will both help them better learn their biology but also teach them a very important skill that they can use in just about any career.”
 
The Roosevelt School District excels at creating a world-class academic environment by embracing educational best practices and continuously striving to set the bar higher. For more information about exciting Roosevelt School District programs and initiatives please visit the District website, www.rooseveltufsd.org.