The Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency recently received a $68,300 grant from the state to expand computer science instruction in the area’s K-12 schools.

The grant, awarded by Gov. Kim Reynolds, comes from the state’s Computer Science Professional Development Incentive Fund. PLAEA received one of 18 awards given out across the state to school districts, nonpublic schools and area education agencies this year totaling $883,097.

The grant will fund a partnership between PLAEA and Drake University in Des Moines to offer three courses for university credit: computer science methods, computer science in the elementary classroom and introduction to computer science.

“It can be difficult for our rural schools to find a teacher who has a strong background in computer science,” said Torrey Proctor, the PLAEA consultant who is coordinating the partnership.

There will be 20 participants for each class and registration will open soon. A stipend will pay for the class and credit for the teachers participating.

“This grant is important because this will encourage teachers to take a university-level computer science methods course that they may not have and then the credit from the course that they take, if they choose to do so, could also go down the path of getting an endorsement in computer science,” Proctor said.

The end goal of the grant program is to provide better computer science education to Iowa students.

“It’s empowering teachers to empower their students,” Proctor said.