Middle School Educators Across Southeast Michigan Adopt Computational Thinking Curriculum to Prepare Students For 21st Century Careers

BELLEVILLE, Mich. and NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tata Consultancy Services, (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, have announced the Michigan launch of their Ignite My Future in School (IMFIS) initiative.

The program will provide a select group of middle school educators from Southeast Michigan – including hosts Van Buren Public Schools and Saline Area Schools, as well as Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, Taylor School District, Evart Public Schools, Riverview Schools, Wayne-Westland School District, and Crestwood School District – with the opportunity to participate in Ignite My Future in School's Day of Discovery at Belleville High School. During this day of professional development training, local educators will connect with TCS and Discovery Education's curriculum experts to learn about the program, understand its purpose and develop innovative strategies for integrating these new resources into classroom instruction.

Much like critical thinking, computational thinking equips learners with essential skills for solving complex problems to find innovative solutions through skills such as collecting and analyzing data, modeling solutions, or applying algorithmic thinking. Ignite My Future in School combines the best of digital content, lesson plans, career vignettes, and professional learning to help teachers prepare their students for careers of the future. The initiative offers educators instructional resources and year-round curriculum support to ensure that computational thinking is embedded into core subjects such as math, sciences, arts, and social studies.  This interdisciplinary approach helps students to obtain the necessary skills required for 21^st century careers across all industries.

In this video message, Michigan Senator Gary Peters congratulated TCS and Discovery on their IMFIS program stating, "Jobs of tomorrow will require an increasing level of digital skills. Technology plays a crucial role in our modern economy, a role that will only continue to grow in the coming years. Today, nearly 50 percent of jobs require digital skills, and by the end of the decade there will there will be more than one million new technology related jobs and we will not have enough highly skilled graduates to fill them. As Michigan leads the way in technological advances like self-driving cars, Artificial Intelligence, and even missions in space exploration, this incredible program will ensure that you can help prepare your students to play a central role."

Michigan colleges only produced 1,793 computer science (CS) graduates in 2015, and this past school year, just 71 high schools in the state offered AP computer science courses. Ignite My Future in School hopes to bridge the gap by developing relevant skills for future job opportunities in the new digital economy, including Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT). 

"I would like to congratulate Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education on their collaborative efforts to create the 'Ignite My Future in School' initiative," said Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. "The resources and programs that this initiative offers to the teachers and students will provide new learning opportunities to prepare our students for an ever-changing world."

"Creating pathways for students to gain relevant job readiness skills is essential to their future success and the future of the nation," said Balaji Ganapathy, Head of Workforce Effectiveness, TCS. "I applaud the various school districts in Southeast Michigan for being forward-thinking and committed to integrating computer science into core subjects. We are excited to work with each school system as they continue to give young people opportunities to succeed through education that is contextually aligned with the needs of growing industries in Michigan."

On a national level, Ignite My Future in School has a goal of engaging 20,000 teachers and one million U.S. students by 2021. As a first step towards this objective, TCS and Discovery Education have partnered with U.S. school districts in the Washington, D.C. area, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan and Wisconsin as early adopters and launch sites of this transdisciplinary approach. Since launching in 2017, IMFIS has provided training materials valued at more than $2 million and engaged over 185,000 students and 3,300 educators in all 50 states. To learn more about Ignite My Future in School, go to www.ignitemyfutureinschool.org.

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS):
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world's largest businesses in their transformation journeys for the last fifty years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of IT, Business & Technology Services, and engineering. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India's largest multinational business group, TCS has more than 400,000 of the world's best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $19.09 billion for year ended March 31, 2018 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS' proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit us at tcs.com.

To stay up-to-date on TCS news in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News.

About Discovery Education:
As the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12 classrooms worldwide, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional learning, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education's services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries around the globe. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com. Stay connected with Discovery Education on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @DiscoveryEd.

SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services

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