(INDIANAPOLIS) – The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced today the 50 recipients of the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Cybersecurity Course Grant. The award will be used towards implementation of the PLTW Cybersecurity course in schools and to continue statewide cybersecurity efforts.
“Cybersecurity is a critical component in today’s technology-centered learning environments,” said Dr. Jennifer McCormick, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “As a State, it is important we recognize the importance of cyber education and provide our students and educators the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful and responsive. I commend the awarded schools for their dedication and commitment to this opportunity for students. I also appreciate the commitment from districts in educating school personnel.”
As part of IDOE’s STEM initiatives, the PLTW Cybersecurity Course Grant awarded 50 schools up to $8,000 per school to assist in offsetting costs associated with an implementation of the PLTW Cybersecurity course during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. Awards may be used to cover PLTW Computer Science program participation fees, PLTW Cybersecurity professional development expenses, Cybersecurity Network Security Lab fees, and required course equipment and supplies.
“We’re grateful for this partnership with the Indiana Department of Education to expand hands-on cybersecurity education to Indiana high school students,” said PLTW President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Vince Bertram. “As our world becomes more interconnected and dependent on technology, students must understand computer science and cybersecurity and have the skills to ethically and safely share and protect their information, and that of the companies they will one day work for. In addition to the 50 schools receiving grants in partnership with IDOE, we’re proudly supporting another 131 PreK-12 schools across the state to help expand access to computer science education.”
In addition to offering this grant opportunity, the IDOE has successfully partnered with over 43,000 school personnel on a district-level cybersecurity training platform. IDOE has also mandated the completion of cybersecurity awareness training for all employees. Proudly, IDOE is active on several statewide computer sciences related panels and the Governor’s Cybersecurity Taskforce.
For a list of recipients or to learn more about the grant opportunity, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/cybersecurity/cybersecurity-students. To learn more about PLTW’s Cybersecurity course, please visit: www.pltw.org/our-programs/pltw-computer-science-curriculum#curriculum-4.
