New Amazon funding covers FIRST program for 21
Metro Nashville Public Schools to start robotics teams; $10,000 for
each school to provide computer science education field trips,
hardware, and technology upgrades; and a tour of an Amazon robotics
fulfillment center
Amazon to fund computer science courses in
Tennessee high schools – with classes to start in 3 Metro Nashville
schools and more than 45 across the state
Donation is part of Amazon Future Engineer, a
four-part, childhood-to-career program that works to inspire and
educate millions of children and young adults from underserved and
underrepresented communities to try computer science
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Metro Nashville Public Schools today
announced a new partnership to bring computer science courses and
robotics to 24 schools supporting students from underserved or
underrepresented communities, as part of the Amazon Future Engineer
program. Amazon is providing 21 elementary, middle and high schools
with robotics programming, which
includes funding to launch FIRST robotics clubs along with teacher
professional development, $10,000 to expand access to computer
science education at each school, which could include field trips,
hardware, and technology upgrades, and access to a tour of an
Amazon robotics fulfillment center. In addition, Amazon also plans
to fund Intro and AP computer science courses in three Metro
Nashville high schools and more than 45 total high schools across
the state of Tennessee, benefitting more than 1,000 local
students.
“We are excited to team with Metro Nashville Public Schools to
help more local students, especially those from underserved and
underrepresented communities, develop the skills they need to build
their best future,” said Dave Clark, Amazon SVP, Worldwide
Operations. “Amazon Future Engineer will help students have
positive, early, and frequent interactions with computer science so
that they can become the innovators of tomorrow at Amazon or beyond
- and continue to strengthen the economy and community of
Nashville.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 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. Computer science is the fastest-growing profession
within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field,
but only 8% of STEM graduates earn a computer science degree, with
a tiny minority from underprivileged backgrounds. Students from
underprivileged backgrounds are 8 to 10 times more likely to pursue
college degrees in computer science if they have taken AP computer
science in high school.
“We are always looking for new ways to teach our students, and
we are elated that Amazon is bringing some of its brightest minds
and most innovative resources to our MNPS classrooms,” said Dr.
Adrienne Battle, interim Director of Schools.
The FIRST robotics programs will be brought to Metro Nashville
Public Schools Magnet STEAM schools. These schools focus on
science, technology, engineering, art and math, linking those
disciplines to life skills that reach far beyond the classroom. The
Magnet Schools focus on diversity, innovative curriculums,
professional development, academic excellence, and partnerships –
such as this new partnership with Amazon.
The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science
and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting
mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and
technology skills to students in grades K-12. Data from a 5-year
longitudinal study of FIRST by Brandeis University shows
competitive FIRST robotics programs works for all youth. Across all
demographic groups (gender, race, economic status and geography),
FIRST students show significant gains in STEM knowledge, STEM
interest, STEM career interest, STEM identity, and STEM activity
compared to their peers who don’t participate. FIRST students are
more likely to major in tech-focused science fields in college; by
their second year of college, over 50 percent declare majors in
engineering or technology. The impact on young women in FIRST is
particularly profound. By their first year of college, female
alumnae of FIRST are 3.6 times more likely to take an engineering
course, and 1.9 times more likely to take a computer science course
than female comparison students.
The Amazon Future Engineer high schools will receive funding
from Amazon to offer Intro & AP computer science courses.
Amazon’s funding also provides preparatory lessons, tutorials,
professional development for teachers, fully sequenced and paced
digital curriculum for students, and live online support every day
of the week for both teachers and students. All students
participating in this program will receive a free membership to AWS
Educate, which provides them with free access to computing power in
the AWS Cloud for their coding projects and content to learn about
cloud computing.
Launched in November 2018, Amazon Future Engineer is a four-part
childhood-to-career program intended to inspire, educate, and
prepare children and young adults from underrepresented and
underserved communities to pursue careers in the fast-growing field
of computer science. Each year, Amazon Future Engineer aims to
inspire millions of kids to explore computer science; provides over
100,000 young people in over 2,000 high schools access to Intro or
AP Computer Science courses; awards 100 students with four-year
$10,000 scholarships, as well as offers guaranteed and paid Amazon
internships to gain work experience. Amazon Future Engineer is part
of Amazon’s $50 million investment in computer science/STEM
education. In addition, Amazon Future Engineer has donated more
than $10 million to organizations that promote computer
science/STEM education across the country.
Amazon is already working with Middle Tennesseans to bring 5,000
new jobs in downtown Nashville over the coming months and years.
Amazon Nashville will serve as the eastern U.S. hub for Amazon’s
retail operations business, and will include tech and management
teams working on customer fulfillment, customer service,
transportation, supply chain management, and similar activities.
Tennessee, Davidson County and the city of Nashville will benefit
from $1 billion in new tax revenues over the next 10 years as a
result of Amazon’s investment and job creation. Since announcing
its move to Nashville, Amazon has donated $800,000 to Tennessee
State University to endow a professorship in computer science,
$106,000 to Communities in Schools to support local public schools,
$100,000 to Project Return, an organization dedicated to the
successful new beginnings of people who are returning to the
community after incarceration, and $500,000 to The Store, a
year-round free grocery store allowing people to shop for their
basic needs.
The schools participating in Amazon Future Engineer within MNPS
include:
Robotics Elementary Schools Inglewood Rosebank
Whitsitt
Robotics Middle Schools Antioch MS Bellevue Croft DuPont
Hadley Haynes Head JT Moore Litton Madison McKissack McMurray Rose
Park Stratford
Robotics High Schools Stratford Whites Creek McGavock
Hunters Lane Maplewood
Computer Science High Schools Overton MLK Magnet
Hillsboro
Schools, teachers, students, and parents can visit
www.AmazonFutureEngineer.com to apply or to learn more information
about the program.
About Amazon in the Community
Amazon is committed to helping more children and young adults,
especially those from underrepresented and underserved communities,
have the resources and skills they need to build their best future.
Amazon focuses on building long-term, innovative, and high impact
programs that leverage Amazon’s unique assets and culture.
Initiatives include Amazon Future Engineer, designed to inspire and
excite 10 million children and young adults from underserved and
underrepresented communities each year to pursue an education in
computer science, as well as programs that support immediate needs,
including addressing family homelessness through donations and
housing a homeless shelter in its Seattle headquarters, as well as
global relief efforts for people in need following natural
disasters.
About Metro Nashville Public Schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools is one of the nation’s top 50
largest school districts, preparing more than 85,000 students for
higher education, work and life. With the goal of being the first
choice for Nashville families, Metro Schools is committed to
#ExceedingGreatExpectations with the mission of delivering a great
public education to every student, every day. The district is
earning a national reputation for urban school reform, social and
emotional learning and rising academic achievement. The governing
body for Metro Schools is the Metropolitan Nashville Board of
Public Education, a nine-member elected body. For more information,
visit MNPS.org, or follow us on Twitter @MetroSchools or Facebook
/MetroSchools.
About FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration
and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an
appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in
Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to
build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating
young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and
engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500
companies and more than $80 million in college scholarships, the
not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition
for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12;
FIRST LEGO League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST LEGO League Jr. for
Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that
encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and
respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST,
go to www.firstinspires.org.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather
than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to
operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews,
1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment
by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets,
Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and
services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit
amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
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