Idaho recognizes that 80% of all jobs will require some form of technical knowledge within the next 20 years. To address this need today, the Idaho Legislature introduced and passed two pieces of legislation focusing on computer science and STEM education in 2016. The STEM Education Fund was created through Senate Bill 1279, into which two million dollars was deposited from Idaho state’s general fund to support Idaho’s computer science initiative (House Bill 379). The legislative intent of the computer science initiative is to increase statewide efforts in computer science awareness and access, kindergarten through career. These efforts will continue to be driven by the needs of Idaho’s industry and developed in partnership with industry, the State Board of Education, the Division of Career-Technical Education, and the State Department of Education, administrators, educators and the community at large. The ultimate goal is to secure industry participation in the funding of the state’s computer science education initiatives by leveraging our funding and broadening our reach. During the 2017 legislative session, the STEM Action Center was able to secure another two million dollars in one-time funding. In its first year, computer science initiatives have been able to impact 1,325 educators and 68,000 students across Idaho through STEM Action Center opportunities. The stories of improved computer science education in Idaho are numerous and the STEM Action Center will continue to partner with key stakeholders and increase the momentum of our Computer Science Initiatives through grants, professional development opportunities, resources, camps, scholarships, competitions and much more.
