NEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, March
28, 2017 /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, today
announced the launch of Ignite My Future in School, a
multi-million dollar and first-of-its-kind initiative to use
computational thinking as a catalyst to transform education in
America. This program will enable educators, administrators and
school districts to become ambassadors of a transdisciplinary
approach and introduce computer science within the context of core
subjects such as English, mathematics, social studies, science, and
the arts.
Ignite My Future in School will engage 20,000 teachers
and more than one million students over the next five years,
offered free of cost to them and their school districts. Educators
will be provided with high quality professional development content
that aligns with existing curricular requirements, enabling them to
reach students in a compelling, hands-on manner to learn
computational thinking concepts and apply such digital skills to
solve real world problems. These instructional courses, content and
lesson plans will give faculty the opportunity to try new teaching
strategies in their classrooms that are designed to increase
student engagement and achievement.
"Innovation occurs at the intersection of disciplines, and
digital technologies are transforming every business around the
world, from manufacturing and banking to retail and healthcare,"
said Surya Kant, President, North
America, UK and Europe,
TCS. "Computational thinking and digital fluency are critical
skills to succeed in careers across all sectors. Combining our
industry knowledge, technology and mentors with Discovery
Education's educational resources, we can empower educators and
schools to ignite the spark to prepare a whole new generation of
students for brighter futures."
Starting in 2017, Ignite My Future in School will
be rolled out in school districts in 10 U.S. cities:
New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Santa Clara, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Charlotte, Cincinnati, and Seattle. It will also be available across the
U.S. through a virtual digital platform. Each market will have
local learning leaders, who will promote teacher learning
communities, connect participants and act as guides for
cross-district learning and sharing. Moreover, more than 3,000 TCS
employees will be actively involved as mentors and support the
building of local coalitions in each city.
"Discovery Education is proud to join forces with TCS, a truly
innovative and purpose-driven company, in support of our shared
mission to empower students with the skills needed for success
beyond graduation," said Bill
Goodwyn, CEO, Discovery Education. "Together, we are
developing and delivering to educators dynamic digital resources
that support the growth of critical computational thinking skills.
We look forward to working closely with the talented TCS team to
support the success of all learners."
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2020 there will
be one million more computer science-related jobs in the U.S. than
there will be students qualified to fill them. However, only one in
10 schools nationwide teach computer science classes. This
multi-million dollar, multi-year initiative will bridge this gap by
creating an educational journey with multiple touch points, from
teacher training to partnerships with administrators, school
leaders, etc., that empowers educators to play a critical, active
role in preparing today's and tomorrow's students.
Ignite My Future in School builds on TCS' robust global
community initiatives that have inspired more than two million
young people in STEM education and careers. TCS is a founding
partner for two national mentoring initiatives in the United States, US2020 and Million Women
Mentors. TCS' flagship student engagement program, TCS goIT, has
engaged more than 12,000 middle and high school students in
the United States and Canada with hands-on experiences in computer
science, inspiring them towards tech careers in all sectors.
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 delivers real results to global
business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match.
TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS,
infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is
delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Modelâ„¢,
recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development.
A part of the Tata group, India's
largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 378,000 of the
world's best-trained consultants in 45 countries. The company
generated consolidated revenues of U.S. $16.5 billion for year ended March 31, 2016 and is listed on the BSE Limited
and National Stock Exchange of India Limited. For more information,
visit us at www.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
Discovery Education is the
global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12,
transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital
textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the
largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5
million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery
Education's services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of
all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries.
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. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery
Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one
nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of
education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tcs-and-discovery-education-partner-to-prepare-one-million-students-for-21st-century-careers-300430401.html
SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services