Apple to serve underrepresented minority students giving education to historically Black schools
Apple Inc declared yesterday that it was working with 10 additional historically Black universities and colleges to become “hubs” that will teach computer programming and app design skills in their regions.
Specifically, Apple started a community education initiative last year to provide high tech materials such as iPads, Mac computers, teaching curricula and access to its staff and engineers for schools that serve underrepresented minority students.
Nonetheless, the company yesterday claimed that the project will engage in 24 locations, some of which embrace multiple school districts, half of which are historically Black schools, with future plans to add 10 more historically Black schools later in 2020.
Apple has closely worked with Tennessee State University, which has become a national hub for training teachers from other historically Black colleges and universities to start offering courses in their schools as well as secondary and elementary schools in their surrounding communities.
The 10 schools Apple announced will become new hubs namely are Arkansas Baptist College, Central State University in Ohio, Claflin University in South Carolina, Dillard University in Louisiana, Fisk University in Tennessee, Lawson State Community College in Alabama, Morehouse College in Georgia, Prairie View A&M University in Texas, Tougaloo College in Mississippi and Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana.
Educators will learn the building blocks of coding with Swift, Apple’s easy-to-learn coding language. Participants will work in teams to design app prototypes to address real community challenges. After completing the coding academy, educators will begin to integrate the coding and creativity curricula into their communities by launching coding clubs and courses at their schools, hosting community coding events, and creating workforce development opportunities for adult learners.
Yet, this is not the very first incentive that the high-tech company supports. Indeed, the promising enterprise in Apple’s schools' program was followed by last month’s $100 million funding for racial justice initiatives that became concrete after the brutal murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, which inspired worldwide protests that keep unrested demanding for equality and social justice.