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

Tiny Techies

Our Tiny Techies professional development supports PreK–2nd-grade teachers with training on foundational computer science concepts and how they relate to some of our youngest learners. You will experience engaging lessons that can tie into other content areas and help students become creative problem solvers.

CS Fundamentals

This curriculum is designed for teachers new to Computer Science who want to offer accessible and equitable introductory Computer Science topics to their students.

Middle School

Project GUTS

Interested in learning how to integrate science and computer science? Join us for our weeklong Project GUTS Professional Learning Program and learn how computational models can be used to think scientifically.

CS Discoveries

Engage your students with a wide lens on computer science by covering topics such as programming, physical computing, web development, design, and data. The course inspires students as they build their own websites, apps, games, and physical computing devices.

High School

CS Principles

Introduce your students to the foundational concepts of computer science and challenge them to explore how computing and technology can impact the world. More than a traditional introduction to programming, it is a rigorous, engaging, and approachable course that explores many of the foundational ideas of computing so all students understand how these concepts are transforming the world we live in.

AP Computer Science A

Guide students through learning object-oriented programming using Java. Students take on the role of software engineers, and practice skills that are used in the field. The Code.org curriculum for CSA is designed for any high school student who wishes to continue their computer science education after completing an introductory course such as Computer Science Discoveries (CSD) or Computer Science Principles (CSP).

All Grades

Artificial Intelligence PD

The IBM Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education experience was designed to give all educators the knowledge and confidence to bring foundational AI concepts into their K–12 classroom, regardless of their grade level or subject matter.

Expanded Learning Program

The Code.org Expanded Learning Program was designed to provide ongoing support and community engagement for teachers that have already participated in the Code.org Workshops (CS Fundamentals) or Professional Learning Program (CS Discoveries or CS Principles).

Custom PD

We can craft a custom professional development package with options tailored to your classroom and district.

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.

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.

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.