Microsoft has announced that it has partnered with FECHAC, FUNAX, as well as community and government leaders to expand the Technology Education and Literacy Schools (TEALS) program to four high schools in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and 252 high schools in the United States.
One of the major bits of information about the expansion of the TEALS curriculum is that it’s the first time that it has been translated into Spanish. This was accomplished through partnerships with curriculum providers including Carnegie Mellon University.
Commenting on the expansion of TEALS, Omar Saucedo, Microsoft TechSpark regional manager based in Ciudad Juarez, said:
“The TEALS expansion to Mexico marks an important step in our efforts to make computer science education accessible to high school students in the region, increasing the likelihood that they’ll continue to study technology and land meaningful, in-demand jobs that offer higher pay and career longevity. In collaboration with our partners across the border, we will help students, teachers, volunteers and communities play an important role in and benefit from our growing digital economy.”
With the translation of the curriculum into Spanish, Microsoft and its partners will be able to plan for a wider rollout in Mexico as well as the rest of the Americas if they choose to do that. Curricula like TEALS are growing in importance as 59% of all new STEM jobs are in computing, however, just 10% of STEM graduates hold a computer science certificate; with TEALS, this gap can be closed.