by Karen Jung

Many of us will receive holiday letters from friends and family as the year winds down. At Nextech, we thought it might be nice to take a similar approach to update our friends in the Indiana tech community on the state of computer science (CS) education.It’s an especially timely message as we are currently celebrating Computer Science Professional Development Week (CSPDWeek).

First, in case you missed it, we were thrilled to start the week with word that we have received a $5.6 million Lilly Endowment Inc. grant that will enable us to continue our teacher professional development work through October 2027 and reach more than 3,500 teachers.

Karen Jung, President of Nextech

This funding is critical if Indiana teachers and students are to acquire the skills they need to thrive in our high-tech world. Just as technology evolves, our support must evolve as well. A portion of this funding will enhance the artificial intelligence (AI) component of our curriculum to help teachers and students better understand and use AI tools.

A bit more on that: As this community knows, Indiana students are entering an economy where AI fluency is already approaching a foundational need. McKinsey reports that 88 percent of U.S. companies regularly use AI in at least one business function, compared with 78 percent a year ago. In a separate report, McKinsey said 92 percent of US companies plan to increase investment in generative AI over the next three years.

Students already use tools like ChatGPT every day, often with little guidance on how to evaluate, question or responsibly apply them. Without intentional instruction, students may treat AI as an unquestioned source of truth rather than a powerful tool that requires critical thinking, ethical awareness and technical understanding.

Teachers can’t deliver high-quality AI instruction without support. They need resources, professional development and up-to-date standards that reflect today’s technologies. We’re honored to be part of this solution.

Which brings us back to Lilly Endowment. The majority of this landmark funding will support CSPDWeek and ongoing professional development for teachers.

CSPDWeek is an annual, statewide, teacher-driven experience that includes workshops focused on curriculum, content and pedagogy for educators across grade levels, subject areas and experience levels. For four years, we have partnered with the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) to host the week’s events, reaching more than 700 K-12 educators.

It’s important work that continues well beyond one week.

Teachers who attend CSPDWeek complete a minimum of 30 hours of professional learning during the summer and at least 12 hours during the school year. Nextech offers online support for upcoming curriculum units, deep dives into summer concepts and ongoing community building. Participating teachers also earn a stipend for their efforts.

CSPDWeek follows one of the best examples of why professional development and continued investment in CS education are so critical: our 7th annual CSforGood competition, held last week at the Indiana Statehouse.

Two high school students present their CSforGood project to event judges, standing beside display boards and signage for the High School Division inside the Indiana Statehouse.
Students present their work as part of the 7th Annual CSforGood competition held last week at the Indiana Statehouse.

More than 200 K-12 teams from across the state submitted projects that use technology to solve a community or school challenge. The top 18 were showcased at the event, where the most common response from the crowd was, “This is really impressive.”

Indeed, it was. Elementary, middle and high school students identified issues ranging from helping community members locate local food pantries more easily, to improving students’ sleep, to making classrooms safer and more supportive for neurodivergent learners.

We hosted the competition in partnership with the Indiana Department of Education and with help from Everwise Foundation, High Alpha and TechPoint. Teams won cash prizes, and educators won funding to purchase tech for their CS programs. We had many great judges for the event, including TechPoint’s own, Emily Kitterman, Director of Careers in Tech. See our news release for details on winners and their amazing projects.

High School level winners will have a chance early next year to discuss their work with the High Alpha team during a day of learning. High Alpha Managing Director Scott Dorsey said the company is “optimistic that the students participating in CSforGood will become Indiana’s tech entrepreneurs of the future.”

We appreciate every bit of support we receive from the Indiana tech community, and we’re grateful to find it in abundance. In the spirit of the season, please accept our thanks and appreciation along with this update.

When Nextech launched in 2014 to support CS curriculum needs in Indiana schools, only 18 percent of Indiana schools offered CS classes. Today, 91 percent of Indiana high schools offer a foundational CS course. Code.org’s 2024 State of Computer Science Education Report recognized Indiana as one of just 11 states with a CS graduation requirement.

We’ve been at this for a while, but it still feels like we’re just getting started. Thank you for helping us along the way, and for all that’s yet to come.

2025 Nextech CSforGood Winners Announced →

Nextech Receives $50,000 Grant to Provide Technology Internships to Indiana High School Students →

Will Indiana Make Computer Science a Graduation Requirement? Nextech Hopes So →