DALLAS and NEW YORK, Oct. 13,
2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tata Consultancy Services, (TCS),
(BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting
and business solutions organization, and Discovery Education, the
leading provider of digital education content and professional
development for K-12 classrooms, today officially launched
Ignite My Future in School in Dallas at Ann Richards Middle School in
Texas' 5th
congressional district. As early adopters of this system,
Dallas teachers will receive
professional development, educational resources and year-round
support to integrate computational thinking into core subjects such
as math, sciences, arts and social studies. In turn, students will
learn foundational skills for 21st century careers –
across industries – through this transdisciplinary approach.
"Teachers are at the forefront of preparing students for the
challenges they face as they enter our workforce," said U.S.
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in
this video message. "Initiatives like [Ignite My
Future in School] give them the tools to solidify our country's
standing as a leader in the STEM fields. I want to congratulate
educators in the Texas region for
being chosen for this innovative program, and I look forward to
hearing about our shared successes as we work together to prepare
the next generation of scholars."
The Ann Richards Middle School will serve as a 'lighthouse
school,' acting as the opening hub and eventual archetype for the
regional initiative. Local teachers and parents will have the
opportunity to apply computational thinking at a Day of Discovery
and immersive instructional events. This district includes more
than 2,100 teachers and 32,000 middle school students who could
potentially benefit from the program.
Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science enrollment and
attainment in the district are below the national average, while
salaries for a career in computer science nearly doubles all
professions in the region. Ignite My Future in School hopes
to address the disparity by developing relevant skills for
21st century job opportunities, particularly the new
digital economy, with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence,
machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT).
"Nothing is more important than equipping our young people with
the necessary skills to succeed. Computational thinking gives
students the confidence and ability to solve society's greatest
challenges," said Balaji
Ganapathy, Head of Workforce Effectiveness, TCS. "I want
to thank the administrators at the Ann Richards Middle School for
being forbearers of this effort."
On a National level, Ignite My Future in School has a
goal of engaging 20,000 teachers and one million U.S. students by
2021. As a first step towards this goal, TCS and Discovery
Education announced that 10 U.S. school systems across the
country – with more than 6,700 teachers and 194,000 students –
joined the effort as early adopters of this transdisciplinary
approach in a five-year educator training and learning commitment
to help empower middle school teachers.
These select schools will experience the unique opportunity to
learn and apply computational thinking through an annual free day
of professional development for educators and community night for
parents. TCS and Discovery Education have also launched an online
program, TECHademy, which will engage teachers nationwide in
an exclusive, cost-free, virtual professional development
experience that includes curriculum resources, eLearning courses,
webinars, and more. These resources are aligned to national
standards, as well as the recently launched K-12 Computer Science
Framework.
Ignite My Future in School builds on TCS'
robust community initiatives that have inspired more than two
million young people in STEM education and careers. TCS is a
founding partner for two national mentoring initiatives in
the United States, US2020 and
Million Women Mentors. Its flagship student engagement program, TCS
goIT, has engaged more than 12,000 middle and high school students
across 56 cities in the United
States and Canada with
hands-on experiences in computer science, inspiring them towards
tech careers in all sectors. Moreover, TCS is part of the CS for
All Consortium and has national partnerships with NCWIT, NPower,
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, CECP, National 4H Council,
Boys Scouts of America, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS)
Tata
Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business
solutions organization that delivers real results to global
business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match.
TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS,
infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is
delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model™,
recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development.
A part of the Tata group, India's
largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 389,000 of the
world's best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company
generated consolidated revenues of U.S. $17.6 billion for year ended March 31, 2017 and is listed on the BSE Limited
and National Stock Exchange of India Limited. For more information,
visit us at www.tcs.com. To stay up-to-date on TCS news in
North America,
follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news,
follow @TCS_News.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital
content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with
award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional
development, and the largest professional learning community of its
kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students,
Discovery Education's services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50
percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50
countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and
like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers,
and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase
academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery
Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one
nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of
education at DiscoveryEducation.com. Stay connected with
Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow
us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us
on Instagram and Pinterest.
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SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services