On July 31, 2024, more than 200 educators, policymakers, business leaders, nonprofits, and higher education institutes gathered together during the inaugural Maine Computer Science Education Summit with the goal of advancing Computer Science (CS) education across the state.
The tone of the day was set by Maine’s Education Commissioner, Pender Makin, MMSA’s Executive Director Ruth Kermish-Allen, and Educate Maine’s Executive Director Jason Judd. The three leaders spoke to the significance of partnerships in supporting educators and the critical role CS education plays in Maine’s future workforce.
Dr. Joshua Childs of the University of Texas at Austin, a CS equity and policy leader, gave the keynote speech and welcomed a panel of educators to the stage where he moderated a conversation that provided inspiring insights. A second panel with representatives from across sectors discussed their CS experiences highlighting successes as well as challenges they have faced.
“Access to CS early and often, means Maine students will not only be consumers of technology but will lead the pack in creating and using that technology to solve big problems and create new opportunities,” said MMSA’s Computer Science Lead and STEM Specialist, Rhonda Tate.
“Skills learned in CS are now required across Maine’s burgeoning tech sector as well as in our natural resource based economies. From blueberry fields to rocket pads, Maine needs computer science. We are committed to supporting our educators to meet this challenge.”
The collaborative spirit of the event was felt by the fact that it was jointly organized and hosted by MMSA, Educate Maine, the Maine Department of Education, and the RiSE center with support from the Harold Alfond Foundation and the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance.
