HONOLULU (HI Now) - Equal access to learning requires every student to have a computer. The Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation and Par Hawaii are seeking to close the gaps in Hawaii to ensure every student has a quality education and is ready for future opportunities. Waialua High School teacher David Thompson has been at the forefront of bringing computer science to schools for more than a decade.
With the support of the Public Schools of Hawai’i Foundation, Thompson was able to start a computer science club after school at Kapolei and a computer science club at Waialua High School, where he’s been at for the past eight years.
As result of Thompson’s visionary, pioneering work and commitment to students, and his personal involvement in shaping state legislation, the legislature recently passed a law that has required the Department of Education to develop and implement statewide computer science curriculum for all public school students from kindergarten to the twelfth grade, and that every public high school must offer at least one computer science course each year.
The pandemic showed us the need to diversify our local economy and fields in cybersecurity, green energy, robotics, and other technology-based fields will help get there as a state. Par Hawaii is also beginning to look at renewable energy to help the state transition away from fossil fuels, so they have been a partner in helping prepare students to be ready for future renewable energy jobs.
To learn more about Par Hawaii, visit www.parhawaii.com.
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