An elementary school in Sioux City that’s focused on digital literacy has been selected as the “blueprint” for launching similar programs in other schools. Next year, six elementary schools in high-poverty areas will be given grants so students in the earliest grades will gain computer science expertise. Sioux City superintendent Paul Gausman says his district started one of the first computer science elementary schools in the nation in 2015 at Loess Hills.
Reading, math, science and social studies are still the core subjects taught at the Sioux City elementary school, but computer coding is emphasized in each subject.
The grant money will come from private-sector donations. Principal Financial Group, MidAmerican Energy, Rockwell Collins and Kemin Industries already have pledged 175-thousand dollars. Principal executives say they’ll lead the effort to raise the other 275-thousand dollars for the initiative by the end of this year.
