NMPED News:week to join the

SANTA FE — New Mexico is one of seven new states this Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance, dedicated to education equity in schools across the country.

The new members, which also include Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, elevate the organization to 29 states and the territory of Puerto Rico. Collaborating with the U.S. National Science Foundation and Google.org, the alliance partners with each of them to boost student participation in quality computing programs.

As the Public Education Department’s Math Is Me school year winds down, Public Education Department Cabinet Secretary Arsenio Romero is eager for all students to have access to resources, as well as high-quality, culturally relevant computer science experiences.

“This ensures that New Mexico is part of the national computer science education conversation to develop interventions, pathways, partnerships and models to spur state-level computing education change,” he said. “This work supports Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s plan to offer students varied pathways in STEM and post-secondary education.”

Philip Friedman, K-8 computer science specialist at the Public Education Department, is proud to share New Mexico’s Computer Science Strategic Plan and promote #CSEverywhere. According to code.org, 63 percent of high school students attend a school that offers foundational computer science, compared to 44 percent a year ago. This year’s state figure is up 40 percent from 2018.

Throughout the country, more diverse students pursuing computer science pathways, in school and beyond, is a boon for everyone.

“By gathering advocates from across the computing education ecosystem, ECEP states build needed to advance computer science education and educational policy reform,” ECEP Alliance Director Sarah Dunton said.