Mississippi Children's Museum

In response to a statewide requirement for schools to offer computer science curricula by the 2024–2025 school year, the Mississippi Children’s Museum will launch a pilot program for 4th grade students and their STEAM teachers to learn about coding and robotics. Project activities will include developing and delivering professional development to 4th grade STEAM teachers, creating coding kits, and offering two regional coding challenges. The coding kits will include equipment, lesson plans, and other digital resources for teachers to use in their classrooms. An external evaluator will design and implement pre- and post-project evaluation instruments and the museum will make resources available online to educators through a comprehensive database of digital literacy resources. The collaborative educational model will help prepare the state’s future workforce by laying a foundation for increased digital literacy.