{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hurd-announces-middle-school-computer-science-initiative", "Hurd Announces Middle School Computer Science Initiative", "2016-12-14", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Will Hurd", "H001073", "hurd.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Click here to learn more about the TX23 Computer Science Curriculum Initiative and how to sign up.\nSan Antonio, TX \u2013Surrounded by school district superintendents and city leaders at BiblioTech South, U.S. Representative Will Hurd announced a new STEM initiative for schools in the 23rd Congressional District of Texas. In partnership with the University of Texas Center for STEM Education and non-profit organization Bootstrap, this curriculum initiative will train middle school teachers to integrate computer science into State-approved mathematics curriculums.\u00a0 Currently, only a handful of Texas middle schools offer coding classes.\n\u201cIn Texas, over 40,000 computing jobs are waiting to be filled, but we only graduate 2,000 computer scientists each year,\u201d said Hurd, who studied Computer Science at Texas A&M University. \u201cRight now the pipeline that produces Computer Science\u00a0professionals starts at the high school level. We\u2019ve got to do a better job preparing our students for the jobs that don\u2019t exist yet\u2014and we\u2019ve got to start at an earlier age.\u00a0Coding is the language of the 21st Century economy. If our students can\u2019t speak it, they will be left behind.\u201d\nThe University of Texas Center for STEM Education partners with Bootstrap to host the training, which will train teachers how to teach computer science using math. The learning materials reinforce core concepts from algebra, making the curriculum compatible with the state standards set by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Because the curriculum is taught through existing math classes, schools do not need additional teachers or classes. Forty middle school teachers may participate in the March 23 \u2013 25 training at BiblioTech South in San Antonio, in order to implement the program in the classroom in Fall 2017. This training has been generously sponsored by Intel, Dell, Facebook, and Brocade.\nBexar County Judge Nelson Wolff: \u201cSince the doors of the first branch opened on September 14, 2013, BiblioTech has actively worked to bridge literacy and technology gaps in San Antonio and surrounding areas.\u00a0 Congressman Hurd\u2019s announcement of opportunity and availability for this training is a testament to his support in these areas.\u00a0 BiblioTech and the Bexar County are proud to assist in this new and exciting approach to enrich our community and youth.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\nDr. Brian G. Gottardy, Superintendent of Schools for North East ISD: \u201cNorth East ISD recognizes the need for a skilled technology workforce and understands our role in preparing students for jobs that don\u2019t even exist yet. Expanding computer science opportunities down to middle school will help us build engaging and relevant technology experiences to prepare students for high school, college and career.\u201d\nEmmanuel Schanzer, Bootstrap Program Director: \u201cAlgebra is the key to future success in STEM fields, and jobs that require Computer Science knowledge are among the fastest-growing segment\u00a0of the economy. Bootstrap is proud to work with teachers across Texas\u2019\u00a023rd district, bringing our unique blend of Algebraic Programming to teachers across San Antonio and beyond.\nManuel Justiz, Dean of the College of Education at The University of Texas:\u00a0 \"We are excited to partner with Congressman Hurd\u2019s office and companies like Facebook, Intel, Dell and Brocade to bring cutting-edge computer science teacher training to Texas. The WeTeachCS project in the Center for STEM Education is committed to providing teachers with high-quality, accessible computer science education, and we are proud of the project\u2019s state and national leadership to improve such education for all students, enabling them to become leaders in the innovation economy.\u201d\nAlex Stamos, Facebook Chief Security Officer: \u201cCreating ways to engage young people early with computer science is one of the best investments we can make toward their future and our society. We are glad to support the Hurd Computer Science Initiative for its forward-looking approach.\u201d\nJeff Rangel, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs, Brocade: \u201cBrocade believes the network is a platform of innovation with almost limitless potential. We also believe that today\u2019s youth need the STEM skills necessary to leverage that innovation to co-create futures we\u2019ve yet to imagine. We\u2019re proud to support this computer science initiative because it has the capacity to empower youth with those skills.\u201d\nSteve Harris, Federal Vice President and General Manager, Dell EMC: \u201cAs part of Dell\u2019s 2020 Legacy of Good Plan, Dell is committed to putting technology and expertise to work where it can drive human progress. Dell recognizes the importance in providing underserved children access to technology and equip educators with the resources needed to build the computer science, STEM and computational thinking skills crucial for children\u2019s success in a technology-driven future. We are excited to collaborate with Congressman Hurd and top technology companies on this new STEM initiative.\u201d\nPeter Cleveland, Vice President of Intel\u2019s Government and Policy Group: \u201cStudies show that the quality of a teacher is the single largest influence on student achievement. We are proud to support Congressman Hurd\u2019s Computer Science Initiative to train teachers to integrate computer science into curriculum and help prepare students for the jobs of the future.\u201d\nAl Arreola, President and CEO, South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce: \u201cThe South San Antonio Chamber supports Congressman Hurd\u2019s creative approach to filling the computer science talent gap while championing our homegrown tech sector. This initiative is a great example of how the public and private sectors can work together to generate real returns for our community.\u201d\nRamiro Cavazos, President and CEO, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: \u201cThe San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is proud to support proposed policies that encourage more students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The Hispanic Chamber hosts the largest STEM initiative in San Antonio, the CORE4 STEM Program each year, created to build the future STEM workforce of San Antonio, and we look forward to partnering with Rep. Hurd on furthering efforts such as these.\u201d\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hurd-announces-middle-school-computer-science-initiative"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 4.131135996431112, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}