Governor Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas Department of Education have announced the establishment of the Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year award, which will recognize a public school educator who “demonstrates a strong commitment to the Computer Science Initiative.
“The success of Arkansas’ Computer Science Initiative can largely be attributed to the outstanding computer science educators who have embraced the initiative,” Hutchinson says. “Their efforts to promote computer science deserve recognition, and this award will help us honor some of the best in our state.”
“ADE is excited to be a part of this new teacher recognition program,” ADE Commissioner Johnny Key says. “This award gives us the opportunity to recognize outstanding educators who are helping Arkansas lead the nation in computer science education.”
The application process opens in February 2019 and will be available to any educator with an Arkansas teaching license or an approved licensure exception who is currently working in an Arkansas public school (which includes charter schools). Applicants must who their commitment to the Computer Science Initiative by demonstrating how their efforts have impacted student learning, their school and community, and the state.
Five finalists will be selected from the applicants, and each finalist will receive $2,500. One of the five finalists will be named the 2019 Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year and will receive an additional $12,500 award, for a total of $15,000. The 2019 Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year will receive paid registration and travel to the 2019 ADE Summit next summer and a $1,000 sponsorship to attend the 2019 Computer Science Teachers Association Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
ADE will announce the application process via a Commissioner’s Memo by January 31, 2019. The application window will be open during February, and the five finalists will be announced in March. The 2019 Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year will be named in late spring.
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