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PD for Educators

Advocacy In and Out of the Classroom

NewBoCo advocates for access to computer science and STEM education for ALL students in Iowa. We offer a variety of student and educator program options, and are the designated provider of Code.org Professional Learning Programs in Iowa. Our role includes providing quality professional development to educators through local school district partnerships and acting as a regional hub of the global computer science education movement. NewBoCo works proudly with schools and provides networking and collaboration events for computer science teachers.

Whether you teach elementary, middle school, or high school, or are in a supporting role, NewBoCo has something to teach you. Our professional development programs provide opportunities for educators to get started with computer science, deepen their understanding of an area of computer science, and learn how to apply methodologies like Agile in their classrooms.

Funding options are available for educators to participate in all of our computer science professional development programs. The Iowa Department of Education offers the Computer Science Professional Development Incentive Fund and Curriculum Professional Development Grants.

The Iowa STEM Council provides funding to participate in programs that often include Computer Science through its STEM Scale-Up awards. We also partner with the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa AEAs to expand our CS PD Week and provide free, high-quality professional development in Iowa! Please fill out this interest survey to let us know what sort of professional development opportunities you are interested in and programs you would like to see offered.

K–12 Professional Development Programs

Pre-K and Elementary School

Middle School

High School

All Grades

Fill out our interest form to find the right program for your students!

We Prepare Our Students

Only 41 schools in Iowa (19% of IA schools with AP programs) offered the AP Computer Science course in 2017-2018. There are fewer AP exams taken in computer science than in any other STEM subject area. But why is computer science important, especially if a student won’t major in computer science? Technology surrounds us, and just as students are expected to take biology and physics to understand the world around them, computer science courses help explain the technical world they interact with every day.

2 teachers smile and laugh as they learn about tech education at their laptops
2 teachers sit in front of a laptop and sprawling notebooks and collaborate on an activity

We Support Our Teachers

Since 2017, NewBoCo has been training in-service K–12 teachers across the state of Iowa to teach computer science. We have trained more than 1,800 educators who have brought computer science to more than 50,000 K–12 students.

We Support Our Economy

The State of Iowa averages over 6,000 open computing jobs, but only about 844 computer science graduates per year. The average salary for a computing occupation in Iowa is $83,048, which is significantly higher than the average salary in the state $54,553. Careers are available in chemical, insurance, agricultural, financial, and educational sectors, among many more.

Our Program Works

From rural to urban schools, this program can be implemented in any educational environment. You can learn more from Osage School District (approximately 1,000 K-12 students enrolled) and Cedar Rapids Community School District (Iowa's second largest school district).

We Offer Professional Development Opportunities

These are ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) aligned professional development programs.

A volunteer guides a young student through a project on her laptop during Girls Who Code

Code.org Professional Learning

NewBoCo is the designated provider of Code.org Professional Learning Programs in Iowa. Our role includes providing quality professional development to educators through local school district partnerships and acting as a regional hub of the global computer science education movement. NewBoCo will work with schools and provide networking and collaboration events for computer science teachers. While not every student will become a software developer, the majority of careers benefit from having a foundational understanding of computer science. Whether it be agriculture, advanced manufacturing, finance, healthcare, or any number of other fields, students will need to be able to work with technology to help solve problems.

Upcoming Trainings

Want help finding the right fit for your district or classroom?

Your K–12 Education Team

Samantha Dahlby

Samantha Dahlby

Director of K–12 Education

Alison Mohr

Alison Mohr

Assistant K–12 Education Director

Andy Fiedler

Andy Fiedler

K–12 Student Program Coordinator

Computer Science in Iowa

Public school participation in Iowa has been growing since 2017! Open the map legend to view growth by year.

We're here for any of your questions or to offer the guidance you need!

Interested in more resources to encourage your students along? Check out our Computer Science Resources page!