- At Microsoft, we think a lot
about building the next generation of innovators.
While all schools have had to innovate this year,
for some, that innovation has led
to more rigorous learning opportunities.
This final story is one that's near and dear to my heart.
We are going to visit Aberdeen, Mississippi
and Major Allen Williams.
This rural school is going the extra mile
to help all their kids get ready for future careers.
- The Air Force in 25 years had been really good for me.
How do I position myself to be able to give back
to my home state and to the Air Force
that had done so well by me?
Computer science is just something that's here to stay.
It touches literally every facet of our existence today.
If I could go back
and impact any number of students
by just creating more awareness
so that they knew the advantages of pursuing
that type of pathway as a way to get to college
and then on into any careers,
that would be a good way to give back.
(Administrator) - Good morning Aberdeen High School.
Let's be prepared to be respectful,
have integrity, be dedicated and be excellent.
- The Aberdeen community is primarily a rural community.
The school district population ranges 11
to 1200 students total.
We are about a 99.6
or so percent African-American population
and probably 70% or so are female.
Our entire district is a Title One District,
which has a certain connotation with financial standing
of the families of the students that are enrolled.
CSforAll is a non-profit.
And their mission has been
to promote the study of computer science.
Late 2019, they formalized this partnership with JROTC,
where they established a cohort of 30 high schools.
Once I became aware of this new partnership opportunity,
it became a no brainer to want to become a part of that.
And my purpose in being part
of this JROTC CSforAll partnership was to have our kids
be more aware of what's available to them
on that career path.
The pandemic has absolutely been an eye-opener.
We went into an environment where we had
to depend on delivering instruction remotely.
Our kids didn't have devices to do remote instruction.
We were like a lot of other districts across the country
where we gravitated towards more web based devices
that were geared towards helping to deliver instruction
in a purely academic setting.
The issue with that though is when you start looking
at computer science and cybersecurity related curriculum,
the web based devices served a function
up to a certain point.
But if you're just starting
to teach students principles on things,
that's really not the best environment to also have
to teach work arounds just to make the device work.
So when we had the opportunity to compete
for a grant that allowed us to get Windows-based devices,
we jumped on that opportunity and were able to do so,
and have had success.
We don't have our football team practice
on a soccer field using basketballs.
So why would we have computer science students
that are going to work on a Windows based device
in the workplace, even in colleges
and not train them to use those types of systems?
My vision for this program is that it really comes under
what has been coined now as college and career readiness.
So if I can use a platform like this to help
that next generation of student, then I will have continued
to help serve this country of ours.
- That story speaks to me about the power
of a great educator in a student's life.
Thank you so much for joining us today to learn more
about our new education solutions
and how innovative educators are implementing these products
to ensure that all students have access
to amazing educational opportunities.
Together with you and our partners,
we can reimagine learning environments.
Together we can change what's possible.
Our shared mission with educational organizations
is to empower every learner to achieve more.
We are excited to partner with you on this journey.
(upbeat music)