Almost $1.8M in Grants to Expand Computer Science Programs in New Jersey Schools

Gov. Phil Murphy and Acting Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer recently announced awards of $1.79 million for two grants to expand computer science in schools. One grant will help 27 school districts and charter schools establish or expand high-quality computer science courses in the high school grades, and the other grant will fund three computer science hubs for teacher training operated by three colleges and universities.

The two grants – Expanding Computer Science Professional Learning and Expanding Computer Science High School Courses – were funded through the state’s fiscal year 2024 budget. Of particular note, 17 of the 27 school districts and charter schools receiving the Expanding Computer Science High School Courses Grant have specifically tailored their programs to cybersecurity and/or artificial intelligence, complementing the goals of the “AI Moonshot” the governor announced earlier this year to establish New Jersey as a home base for AI-powered discoveries to create new economic opportunities and jobs in the industries of tomorrow.

“These grants will better prepare New Jersey students to thrive in today’s information-driven economy by providing greater access to high-quality computer science and technological design education,” Murphy said. “New Jersey is ripe for this kind of innovation in our schools. We have the talent, the infrastructure and the job market that will fuel opportunities for students across the state.”

“The goals of these grants are foundational elements in the vision set forth in the Computer Science State Plan that the department unveiled five years ago,” said Kevin Dehmer, acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education. “We know experience in computer science and design thinking can lead to high-demand and innovative careers. These skills can greatly advance opportunities after high school, and that is why we believe it is an educational imperative to expand offerings of these courses.”

New Jersey averaged 13,300 open computing jobs each month last year with an average salary of $96,251, according to the 2023 State of Computer Science Education report by Code.org. While 57.5% of high schools nationally offer computer science, 82% of New Jersey high schools currently offer such coursework – an increase from 59% in 2017-2018.

Expanding Computer Science Professional Learning

This grant will establish three regional computer science learning hubs to provide professional learning for teachers and school administrators. The goals of the program are to increase the number of high-quality educators from diverse backgrounds available to teach computer science, provide professional learning opportunities and resources to school districts, and expand equitable access to computer science for all students.

Expanding Computer Science Professional Learning Awards

Each college or university receiving grant funding is expected to collaborate with computer science hubs operated by other institutions of higher education in the grant program. In addition, the two sources of grant funding can connect with each other; the programming offered by the hubs created by the colleges and universities will be open to the school districts and charter schools that receive grant funding to implement computer science courses in their high schools.

Expanding Computer Science High School Courses

This grant helps schools implement or expand College Board-approved Advanced Placement computer science courses, courses in cybersecurity or artificial intelligence, and courses that are eligible for credit in computer science at a college or university. The grant also emphasizes funding to help high schools that currently do not offer computer science establish such courses in 2024-2025 and subsequent school years.

New courses must be aligned with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in computer science (NJSLS-CS), and courses must be available for student enrollment in the 2024-2025 school year.

Expanding Computer Science High School Courses Grant Awards

The above awards are preliminary, pending a final review from the NJDOE.

The funding is part of an ongoing initiative that builds upon previous grants designed to elevate the level of computer science and technological design courses offered in New Jersey schools. In total, nearly $9 million has been dedicated to these initiatives, supporting the establishment of six computer science learning hubs and computer science course offerings in nearly 50 school districts.