BEEBE -- A competition in public-service announcements is the latest push to get girls enrolled in computer science classes throughout Arkansas.
Anna Beth Gorman, executive director of the Women's Foundation of Arkansas, announced the competition at Beebe High School on Thursday. Gov. Asa Hutchinson was at the school, and he encouraged students to participate as part of his fifth statewide computer-coding tour.
Gorman said: "We want to see girls taking this incredible opportunity that our state has led the country in -- the opportunity to have computer science education here in your classrooms. Other states aren't offering this."
Hutchinson -- who promised to make computer coding a state priority during his 2014 election campaign -- has in previous coding tours urged women and members of minority groups to take such classes.
The governor backed legislation to require that computer science be taught in every high school and to provide money for school equipment and teacher training.
The initiative has increased student participation. About 5,500 high school students took computer-science courses last school year. That's up from about 4,000 in the 2015-16 school year and 1,100 the year before that.
However, only about 26 percent of the students taking coding classes are women. While the state statistic is higher than the national average and has increased over time, it's not good enough for Arkansas, said Anthony Owen, computer science coordinator for the state Department of Education.
The governor said he wants computer science classrooms to serve as microcosm for schools as a whole.
"Even though we have had significant increases in girls coding and taking STEM education, you can see here at Beebe there's more guys in it than girls," Hutchinson said in an interview.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
The governor -- flanked by House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia; Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy; Gorman and other officials -- quizzed nervous students about their career plans in a classroom before the announcement. Gillam and Dismang are both alumni of Beebe High School.
Gorman said she saw just one female student in the classroom.
"Women -- girls -- make up just a little bit more than half our population, and so if we want to get these companies to come to Arkansas, we really need to see our classes reflective of our entire population so companies see Arkansas as a great place to be," she said.
Hutchinson and Gorman touted the competition as a way to leverage student voices and increase participation.
Students in grades six through 12 are eligible to participate in the statewide competition to develop 30- to 60-second scripts for public-service announcements encouraging girls and members of minority groups to enroll in computer science classes, according to a news release. Teams must have at least two people, and half the team has to be female.
Submissions are due Sept. 22. Winning entrants -- chosen by a panel of judges by Oct. 2 -- will be professionally produced and shown in movie theaters across Arkansas.
Details are available at girlsofpromise.org/csforar.
The project is a partnership between the Women's Foundation of Arkansas, the Arkansas Educational Television Network and the Arkansas Department of Education. AT&T donated $40,000 to the Women's Foundation of Arkansas for the competition and theater spots and to fund Girls of Promise, a program to encourage girls to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math courses.
Metro on 08/25/2017