They’re bringing computer science to the classroom — opening doors in lucrative field

Close your eyes and think about a tech entrepreneur.

Most people would picture Mark Zuckerberg, and that’s a problem, particularly for girls and black and brown boys who can’t imagine technology as a career for people who look like them.

Yet in Florida, only 30% of public schools teach even a foundational computer science course, much less anything more advanced. Yet there are thousands of open computing jobs in the state and the average salary for computing occupations, about $83,000, is almost double the state’s average salary for all occupations.

Carlos Vazquez says statistics like those are why he founded his nonprofit, Miami EdTech, in 2017. Miami EdTech has been on a mission to bring more computer science education to schools, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods, said Vazquez, Miami EdTech’s CEO.

Even a global pandemic didn’t stop the organization’s progress this year. Miami EdTech took its six-week programming course for teachers virtual and even added in a chapter about teaching computer science in a virtual environment.

“It’s already hard enough to teach it in person,” said Vazquez. “So we created a tool kit that teachers could use in Miami-Dade County to roll it out.”

This year, nearly 400 Miami-Dade teachers in the CTE (Career Technical Education) Department took Miami EdTech’s course and are now prepared to take the state certification exam for teaching more advanced computer science in the schools. That’s been helped by a recent partnership with the Academy for Computer Science Education at Florida International University to bring more computer science training to Miami-Dade.

“We focus a lot on getting teachers excited about tech, versus just ‘this is how you code,’ ” explained Vazquez. Vazquez grew up in the South Bronx and taught computer science from the elementary to the college level for over 15 years in New York City and Miami before launching the nonprofit.

Miami EdTech also saw a need for a new online course to bring anti-racism education to teachers, so it created one and will soon offer it widely.

“We wanted to add a deeper layer based on the movement against social injustice,” said Vazquez. “Computer science is probably the area of education that lacks the most diversity, but we decided to open it up to all teachers in Miami.”

And as the school year kicked off this fall, Miami-Dade public schools will also have the assistance of volunteer tech professionals in the classroom — or in the virtual classroom.

With grant funding from Microsoft, Miami EdTech spearheaded the launch of Microsoft TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools), a Microsoft Philanthropies program that connects classroom teachers with tech-industry volunteers to create sustainable computer science programs. The program is not new but it is the first one in Florida.

“We launched it at eight schools here in Miami, and at least half of them are launching computer science at their schools for the first time,” Vazquez said.

Miami EdTech’s team of nine also runs periodic accelerator programs for teachers to inspire their students to solve problems they are seeing in their profession. One graduate of the program, Samantha Pratt, launched the Miami startup KlickEngage, a virtual check-in system that allows students to self-report their emotional well-being in real time through an app. A new cohort will launch in January.

All of these programs are part of Miami EdTech’s bigger mission: Leveling the playing field.

“COVID has perpetuated and exacerbated the inequities that already existed and that has challenged us to step our game up,” Vazquez said. “We wanted to match the need with support – and the only way we are going to level the playing field is to do that.”

“We have to find new innovative ways to bring computer science to schools. We serve as the catalyst to ensure the schools that need help are getting it.”

Contact information

Learn more about the organization at miamiedtech.com

Nancy Dahlberg is a freelance business writer. Reach her at ndahlbergbiz@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @ndahlberg