Milwaukee County Executive’s Chris Abele and MMAC Partner with Microsoft to Expand Computer Science Learning in Local High Schools

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – More Milwaukee-area students will have the opportunity to learn computer science in the 2018-19 school year, thanks to Microsoft Corp., a personal donation from Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC).
 
County Executive Chris Abele is contributing $250,000, together with a matching commitment from Microsoft Philanthropies, to expand Microsoft’s Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) program, which helps high schools build and grow sustainable computer science programs through partnerships between classroom teachers and technology industry volunteers.

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TEALS volunteers currently co-teach in three Milwaukee schools. With the new funds, the program will expand to seven schools in the 2018-2019 school year, and to 25 schools over the next three years. The MMAC’s Community Support Foundation will serve as both fiscal agent and program sponsor, work closely to both help recruit talent to serve in the classroom and recruit schools to participate.
 
“It is more important than ever for children in Milwaukee to be prepared for the jobs of the future,” said Abele. “Computer science is a vital and inevitable driver in today’s global innovation economy and our students need to be able to lead the way.”

“Almost every industry is seeing an increased need for computer science competencies,” said MMAC President Tim Sheehy. “A strong talent base positions the region to embrace new opportunities for growth. MMAC is proud to play a role in supporting TEALS. It’s an innovative program and we appreciate Chris Abele’s generous support and leadership.”
 

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For more information

Julie Granger
Vice President of the MMAC
414/287-4131
414/788-4333 (mobile)

Susan Koehn
Director of Industry Partnerships
for the Milwaukee 7 Economic Dev. Partnership
414/287-4136

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The TEALS program began in 2009 with one school and 12 students, and has grown to nearly 350 schools in 29 states, working with 12,000 students. TEALS volunteers in Milwaukee come from local companies, including Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual. It is estimated that there are more than 550,000 open computer science positions nationally and jobs in this sector are expected to grow at twice the rate of all other jobs.

“Learning computer science and computational thinking is critical for our students’ future success in today and tomorrow’s increasingly technology-driven world,” said Microsoft TEALS Founder Kevin Wang. “With County Executive Abele and MMAC’s partnership and support, TEALS will be able to empower more Milwaukee-area schools and teachers to teach students with the digital skills they need to succeed.”
 
TEALS is recruiting to find 30 industry volunteers to co-teach with TEALS in each of the following schools: Cristo Rey, Hmong American Peace Academy, Messmer, St. Augustine, St. Thomas More, Tenor and Veritas. Teachers work in partnership with TEALS volunteers and learn the computer science curriculum by co-teaching in their own classrooms.
 
Thanks to advance work by the Milwaukee Institute, Gener8tor and others, TEALS has an existing footprint in Wisconsin, with programs running in Northeast Wisconsin, the Madison area, and three participating schools this year in Milwaukee.
 
MMAC’s vision is to help create a globally competitive region that drives high value jobs to support a vibrant quality of life for all. The organization represents 2,000-member companies employing 300,000 employees in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, and Ozaukee counties and beyond.
 
Those interested in learning how to volunteer with TEALS can visit https://www.tealsk12.org/volunteers/. The volunteer application process will be open through the end of May. For questions, contact Caroline Hardin, the TEALS Milwaukee Regional Manager, directly at [email protected].
 
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