Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams on Wednesday, Jan. 27 celebrated the victory of local district school students in his Hour of Code challenge with Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
The initiative was an extension of Adams’s ongoing Code Brooklyn effort to give every child the opportunity to learn how to code.
While both Brooklyn and Chicago dramatically expanded the number of their students introduced to coding through this global effort, to provide at least one hour of classroom instruction for computer science and the basics of coding, Adams said more than 80 percent of the district schools in Brooklyn have confirmed their involvement in the week of activities held last month.
He said that is compared to 61 percent of district schools in Chicago.
Though statistics have not previously been kept on Hour of Code participation, educators and advocates have mutually agreed that this figure represents an unprecedented level of engagement in the borough, Adams said.
According to the bet, the losing city is to have a group of their students film a YouTube video singing a song prominently featuring the winning city. “Brooklyn students won in the Hour of Code challenge, and they will continue winning as they further their coding education,” Adams said. “Our young coders will have an opportunity not only to work at high-tech companies in Brooklyn but to establish enterprises of their own and to build wealth in our community. “
“Even for students that pursue other career interests, coding and computer science education orient them to the critical thinking and problem solving needed to be a success,” he added. “Code Brooklyn provides a foundation for public school students in Brooklyn to develop the skills that allow them to achieve their aspirations as artists and innovators.”
In addition to striving for 100 percent Hour of Code participation in the years ahead, Adams said Code Brooklyn’s focus includes an ongoing assessment of the resources that public schools in the borough need in order to develop comprehensive programs in coding and computer science.
Adams said this help to shape allocation of his Fiscal Year 2017 capital budget resources.
The plan also calls for Brooklyn Borough Hall to serve as a go-between with schools and City Hall through the rollout of the Computer Science for All public-private partnership over the next decade.
It also ensures that resources allocated to teacher training and staff development are assigned equitably and holistically.
Additionally, Adams said he is working with State Sen. Diane Savino and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon on state legislation to make computer science a required part of the school curriculum, as well as to create a specific teacher accreditation for computer science.
