Apple will begin offering free courses aimed at educating teachers across Chicago about coding and computer science in a new partnership with Chicago Public Schools and Northwestern University.
Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., announced the news Wednesday morning on the heels of a product event it held in Chicago the day before, where it revealed a new iPad and other education tools.
“Teachers make a world of difference in their students’ lives, and we owe so much of our own success to their creativity, hard work and dedication,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement. “At Apple, we believe every student should have the opportunity to learn to code and we are thrilled to help provide new learning opportunities for Chicago-area teachers so they can bring coding into their classrooms.”
Through the new partnership, Apple, CPS and Northwestern will create what they are calling a Center for Excellence at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Roscoe Village. It will serve as a teaching hub where high school educators can learn about Apple’s Everyone Can Code Curriculum. It is unclear when exactly the center will open, though.
This partnership is an extension of an initiative, slated to launch this spring, that will teach CPS students about Swift, Apple's coding software, which has created apps like Airbnb, Venmo and Yelp.
In the new program, Northwestern professors will be leading coding sessions and will work with CPS teachers to ensure they understand the concepts in Apple’s curriculum.
Apple says the program aims to help address the national shortage of high school computer teachers. In Illinois alone, the app economy has created more than 64,000 jobs, according to data from Apple, showing the demand is there. The tech company will also be providing their products to the new center in Lane Tech, including iPads, Macs and other necessary accessories.
“There’s no better place than Chicago Public Schools—the first urban school district to make computer science a graduation requirement—to see the benefit that computer science instruction is having on students,” said CPS CEO Janice K. Jackson in a statement. “Our innovative collaboration with Apple and Northwestern will prepare more educators to lead 21st century classrooms and help ensure Chicago students have the resources, support and high-quality instruction needed to become tomorrow’s leaders.”
