The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to announce the opening of the second round of the Computer Science Professional Development Grant!
Maine’s 130th legislature, through L.D. 127: Resolve, To Establish a Pilot Program To Provide Grants for Professional Development in Computer Science Instruction. Sponsored by Senator Pouliot, the bill created a pilot grant program to provide funding for high-quality, teacher-developed or teacher-led professional development for PK-12 computer science pedagogy and content. The first round of grants were awarded in the fall and now the spring window to apply is here!
Priority will be given to applicants that:
- are located in one (or more) of the following counties where no awards were made in the first application round: Sagadahoc, York, Piscataquis, Aroostook, Somerset, Washington, Oxford, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Androscoggin, Franklin, and Kennebec.
- do not currently offer computer science learning opportunities;
- serve socioeconomically disadvantaged school districts;
- prioritize student populations traditionally underrepresented in computer science;
- demonstrate a commitment to pursuing high-quality educator professional development that emphasizes integration of computer science into other course work and curricula or establishes or expands access to courses that offer college credit and other certificates of value, or both; and
- collaborate or partner with other entities, including but not limited to other local education agencies, the business community, nonprofit organizations and private entities.
The fall application window opens Friday, January 28th, 2022 and closes February 11th, 2022. Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received. All applicants will be notified of their application status within two weeks of the application deadline.
There is no limit to the grant amount awarded per applicant; however, funds will be dispersed equitably across all applications based on county and throughout PK-12.
Have questions? Want to learn more? We are hosting three informational sessions, January 31st, February 2nd, and February 8th.
Interested in applying? Check out our website to register for an informational session, learn more about the grant, and submit an application.
Need assistance applying? contact Emma-Marie Banks, Computer Science Specialist & Secondary Digital Learning Specialist emma-marie.banks@maine.gov.