The Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council‘s Education Foundation is undertaking several initiatives to promote K-12 Computer Science education in the state:

• The I Love CS! video contest invites Massachusetts K-12 students to create short videos to inspire other students to explore Computer Science.  Videos must be 90 seconds or less and submitted by a parent, guardian, or teacher by December 1.  Selected videos will appear on the MassTLC’s website and at major events in 2015, and those who submit the selected videos will be able to designate a school or non-profit to receive a $500 stipend for Computer Science education.
• A list of third-party after-school and summer-camp programs to engage K-12 students in computer science can be filtered by elementary, middle, or high school.
• A list of tools and curricula for computer science shows what is available to students, teachers, parents, and STEM volunteers.
• A partnership with TEALS-CS in high schools:  Technology Education And Literacy in Schools recruits, trains, and places volunteer teaching assistants in high-school classrooms to support partner schools and teachers in offering computer-science courses.  In Massachusetts last year, TEALS worked with Billerica, Boston, Cambridge, Medford, Revere, and Watertown.  Applications will open in December for the next school year.
• MassTLC volunteers are signing up to assist in Computer Science Education Week’s Hour of Code, December 8-14.  Sign up here.

MassTLC-EF’s cites these statistics driving its initiatives:

• “In most MA public schools, computer science is considered an elective, not a core math or science.
• There is no licensure for teachers to teach CS in our state.
• Only 1000 students in Massachusetts took AP CS in 2012 — less than 1% of all AP tests taken. 559 passed, of which only 24 were underrepresented minorities and 89 were female.”