State Senator James Maroney Receives First CS4CT Leadership Award

Press release from CGA:

Oct. 5, 2020

Today, State Senator James Maroney (D-Milford) along with Senator Doug McCrory (D-Hartford) and Senator Kevin Witkos (R-Canton) received the first CS4CT Leadership Award at the Computer Science for Connecticut Summit. The award honors leaders promoting and advancing K-12 computer science education in Connecticut. Senator Maroney played a critical role in the successful effort to develop and pass the landmark Public Act No. 19-128 “An Act Concerning Computer Science Instruction in Public Schools.”

Despite the demand for computer science skills, much of Connecticut’s K-12 student population is missing the opportunity to learn computer science and especially computer programming. The law adds computer science to the State’s required curriculum, adds introduction to computer science education to teacher training, requires establishment of an alternative route to certification program for computer science educators, sets a deadline for the long delayed computer science endorsement, creates a computer science education funding account, and adds consideration of career and academic choices in computer science to students success plans.

"We are the first state in the country to require all teacher training programs to offer exposure to new teachers on teaching computer coding,” said Sen. Maroney. “This is critical, because for students coding will be part of all the jobs of the future and this will provide them with the skills they will need to succeed in the future. There are many open jobs in computer coding in our state right now, and by increasing the number of students trained in coding, our companies will have the workforce they need to compete in the new economy."

“An ever-growing number of jobs are requiring applicants to have computer science skills and it is vital our students are prepared to meet the expectations of a 21st century workforce,” said Sen. McCrory. “I am incredibly proud that Connecticut is expanding opportunities for our students to be taught these in-demand skills and learn about the good-paying careers in the growing computer science field. Thank you to the organizers of the Computer Science for Connecticut Summit for this recognition. It is an honor, but I believe the true recognition goes to our educators who will instill these skills in our young leaders and innovators. It is them who are the true champions and I applaud them.”

“The current and future public-school students of Connecticut owe a significant debt to Senators Maroney, McCrory and Witkos,” said Norman Sondheimer, CSTA Connecticut Legislative Affairs Chairman.

Senator Maroney submitted one of two bills that became the basis of the public law. As a then State Representative, Senator Maroney championed the Act that made the first mention of computing in the curriculum. Senator McCrory who co-chairs the CGA Education Committee, lead the effort to combine the two bills into an Education Committee Bill and directed it through the complex process of becoming a law.

This press release was produced by CGA. The views expressed here are the author's own.