Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund and Siegel Family Endowment Grants Will Allow Teacher In Residence Expansion into Four Additional Schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx, Preparing Students and Teachers for the Digital Age
NEW YORK — Cornell Tech, Siegel Family Endowment and the Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund today announced two major grants to expand the successful Teacher In Residence (TIR) program. Cornell Tech’s Teacher in Residence program is one of the most innovative and sustainable models for incorporating computer science and tech education into regular school days. First launched at PS/IS 217 on Roosevelt Island, and later at Hunters Point Community Middle School in Long Island City and Girls Prep Lower East Middle School, the new grant funding will enable the TIR program expansion into four additional schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx to help build computational literacy and coding experience and implementation to diverse populations of students, many in high-need areas throughout New York City.
“At Cornell Tech, we believe computer science is teachable to every student and that it imperative that we prepare all children for the digital age,” says Diane Levitt, Senior Director of K-12 Education at Cornell Tech. “On Roosevelt Island, we have seen how the Teacher in Residence has transformed the school, bringing computer science to every single classroom in every grade. Thanks to the vision and generosity of our donors, we will be able to expand our understanding of how to best support teachers as they implement computer science not as a special elective or after school activity, but into the regular school day, for every students, throughout all grade levels.”
“We’re thrilled to be a part of expanding the Cornell Tech Teacher in Residence program,” said Thea Charles, Head of Knowledge and Impact at Siegel Family Endowment. “SFE has been a partner in this project from the very beginning, and we’re excited to see this proven, research-backed program continue to expand in schools across New York City.”
“The Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund strives for a world where every child can think, solve and create using every effective tool possible – including technology,” said Amber Oliver, Director of the Fund. “We are investing in the Teacher in Residence model because Cornell Tech understands the only way we will achieve this vision, for every child, is if every teacher has the support and resources to infuse computing education into their classrooms, no matter what they teach.”
The Teacher in Residence program is part of Cornell Tech’s commitment to New York City’s Computer Science for All (CS4All) initiative. Cornell Tech’s Teachers in Residence are experienced computer science master teachers who provide professional development, curate curricula, help teachers plan lessons, model instruction, observe classes and give teachers feedback, building the capacity of non-computer science teachers to teach computing in New York City public elementary and middle schools. The program seeks to test and scale tools and curricula teachers can implement with modest investment to add academic value. Thanks to the grant funding from the Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund and Siegel Family Endowment, the program will scale to The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem, Creo College Prep a new middle school opening in the Bronx, P.S. 86, and at least one additional school in Brooklyn.
K-12 tech education is a priority for the Cornell Tech campus, and over 100 graduate students volunteer their time and knowledge at campus K-12 events. Cornell Tech’s K-12 engagement will grow to over 4,500 elementary and middle school students with the new funding. Cornell Tech faculty also participate in contributing ideas and expertise to Cornell Tech’s curriculum, development, and curation. To date, over 350 teachers have been engaged in computer science training.
About Cornell Tech
Cornell Tech brings together faculty, business leaders, tech entrepreneurs and students in a catalytic environment to produce visionary results grounded in significant needs that will reinvent the way we live in the digital age. The Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute embodies the academic partnership between the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Cornell University on the Cornell Tech campus.
From 2012-2017, the campus was temporarily located in Google’s New York City building. In fall 2017, 30 world-class faculty and almost 300 graduate students moved to the first phase of Cornell Tech’s permanent campus on Roosevelt Island, continuing to conduct groundbreaking research, collaborate extensively with tech-oriented companies and organizations and pursue their own startups. When fully completed, the campus will include two million square feet of state-of-the-art buildings, over two acres of open space, and will be home to more than 2,000 graduate students and hundreds of faculty and staff.
