Chattanooga, Tenn. — Dalewood Middle School has been selected as an Amazon Future Engineer School, which is a partnership between Amazon and Project STEM to improve access to computer science education in communities currently underrepresented in the technology field.
The Amazon Future Engineer program aligns with the strategic priorities of Hamilton County Schools. Preparing students for college and career is a goal in the district’s five-year strategic plan, just as creating pathways to help students be more successful after high school is a goal of the Amazon Future Engineer program. Students completing the program and earning industry certification will help the district meet the key performance indicator of students earning industry certifications or taking advanced coursework.
“Amazon’s investment in our schools through their Amazon Future Engineer program will help the district reach our goal of providing future-ready students prepared for success after graduation,” said Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. “These skills are vital for young people, and the early start for our middle school children in this program will reap benefits while the students are in school and as they move forward in a career or postsecondary opportunity after high school.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2020, there will be 1.4 million computer science-related jobs available and only 400,000 computer science graduates with the skills to apply for those jobs. Many students eager to fill the gap and obtain a high-paying job in technology do not have access to computer science in their middle and high schools. Often schools want to offer these courses to their students but do not have access to curriculum or teacher support materials.
“This achievement is a credit to the teachers and administrators at Dalewood Middle who support rigorous thinking and acceleration,” said Rashaad A. Williams, principal at Dalewood Middle School. “We are excited to continue presenting our students with opportunities that make them future ready.”
Amazon and Project STEM are partnering to address this gap by sponsoring teachers and administrators who demonstrate this need and are committed to bringing computer science to their school with access to content such as CS Explorations 1: Fundamentals in Scratch, CS Python Fundamentals, AP Computer Science Principles, or AP Computer Science A courses. This content also includes a fully sequenced and paced digital curriculum for students and professional development for educators new to learning or teaching computer science.
Visit www.amazonfutureengineer.com for more information on the Amazon Future Engineer program as well as college scholarships and internships at Amazon.