Middle School Educators Across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Learn New Strategies for Integrating Innovative Computational Thinking Approaches into Classroom Learning to Better Prepare Students For 21st Century Careers

CHARLOTTE, N.C., August 2, 2018  /3BL Media/ – Tata Consultancy Services, (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, and Discovery Education, the Charlotte-based leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, this week announced the Charlotte, N.C. launch of their Ignite My Future in School (IMFIS) initiative. Through this initiative, 140 middle school educators from across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools participated in IMFIS Days of Discovery at Northeast Middle School and Northridge Middle School. During these professional learning events, hosted August 1 - 2, local educators connected with Discovery Education’s professional learning experts to learn about the Ignite My Future in School initiative, understand its purpose and develop new strategies for integrating these new resources into classroom instruction.

“We want our teachers to be proficient in technology so that they can teach students the 21st-century skills they need. The ‘Ignite My Future in School’ initiative will benefit 140 of our middle school teachers,” said Dr. Clayton M. Wilcox, superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. “We are grateful for our partnership with Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education, which has made possible two days of enriching professional development to increase our teachers’ skills and knowledge.”

Much like critical thinking, computational thinking equips learners with essential skills for solving complex problems to find innovative solutions by collecting and analyzing data, modeling solutions, or applying algorithmic thinking. Ignite My Future in School combines the best of digital content, lesson plans, career vignettes and professional learning to help teachers prepare their students for careers of the future. The initiative offers educators instructional resources and year-round curriculum support to ensure that computational thinking is embedded into core subjects such as math, sciences, arts and social studies. This interdisciplinary approach helps students to obtain the necessary skills required for 21st-century careers across all industries.

“I want to thank Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education for partnering on the ‘Ignite My Future in School’ initiative and allowing teachers to grow and develop professionally,” said Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). “Providing opportunities for our teachers to learn and incorporate computational thinking into core subjects benefits not only educators, but also ensures North Carolina’s students are learning skills for the 21st-century economy and allows our great state to maintain a competitive workforce.”

The Ignite My Future in School initiative will help guarantee that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools continues contributing to the strong talent pipeline that advances the region’s leadership position in the financial sector. Currently, Charlotte stands out as a strong job creator and talent attractor in the fintech space, and the region is the third-largest banking center in the country. 

With more than 17,000 technology jobs than graduates, the city needs future employees with robust computational thinking skills and abilities – Ignite My Future in School intends to help fill the talent gap.

“As a college professor for over 40 years, I was ecstatic to join Charlotte-Mecklenberg middle school teachers during the Charlotte Days of Discovery as a part of the ‘Ignite My Future in Schools’ program, which has successfully traveled the country, providing teachers with critical resources to prepare the next generation of leaders with computational skills,” said Congresswoman Alma S. Adams (D-NC-12). “I commend the ‘Ignite My Future in Schools’ program for recognizing this need and bringing their exceptional work to the 12th Congressional District. We must continue to engage innovatively within our educational system to meet the growing needs of our time.”

TCS and Discovery Education have also launched the digital platform IgniteMyFutureInSchool.org to provide teachers nationwide with exclusive, cost-free, virtual professional development experiences that include lesson plans, curriculum resources, eLearning courses and webinars. These resources are aligned to U.S. standards, as well as the K-12 Computer Science Framework. 

“No priority is more important than ensuring students and communities have the tools and pathways needed to compete in the multi-faceted workforce of today and tomorrow. Through Ignite My Future in School, our goal is to cultivate innovative approaches that build on Charlotte’s track record of success as we move into an era of digital transformation and rapid economic change,” said Balaji Ganapathy, Head of Workforce Effectiveness, TCS. 

On a national level, Ignite My Future in School has a goal of engaging 20,000 teachers and one million U.S. students by 2021. As a first step towards this objective, TCS and Discovery Education have partnered with U.S. school districts in the Washington, D.C. area, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin as early adopters and launch sites of this transdisciplinary approach. Since launching in 2017, more than 3,300 educators and 185,000 students in all 50 states have accessed Ignite My Future in School resources– providing training materials valued at more than $2 million. To learn more about Ignite My Future in School, go to ignitemyfutureinschool.org.

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About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS):

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for the last fifty years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of IT, Business & Technology Services, and engineering. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India's largest multinational business group, TCS has more than 400,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $19.09 billion for year ended March 31, 2018 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS' proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit us at tcs.com. To stay up-to-date on TCS news in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News.

About Discovery Education:
As the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12 classrooms worldwide, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional learning, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries around the globe. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com. Stay connected with Discovery Education on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @DiscoveryEd.

Media Contacts:

Ben Trounson, Tata Consultancy Services, b.trounson@tcs.com

Katie Pearson, Tata Consultancy Services, katie.pearson@fleishman.com

Charmion N. Kinder, Discovery Education, charmion_kinder@discovery.com