Bruce Levin is a software company founder and CEO with over 25 years experience in the technology industry. His Seattle, WA-based company, TechSmart, has recently opened an office in Dallas.

As a leader in the industry, Bruce is concerned about the future of software development in the US. Thousands of jobs are going unfilled due to shortages in the necessary coding skills, including 97,000 open jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex alone. In order to sustain this growing industry, students of today must be empowered with the necessary skills to enter this field.

In today’s session, Bruce will outline the 5 key components for preparing high school students to compete for these high-wage, high-demand jobs after graduation. This will include a comprehensive framework for designing CTE computer science pathways with a strong focus on job-readiness. The talk will cover:

• How to prepare teachers of any background to teach computer science and coding by focusing on real subject-matter knowledge and pedagogical best practices
• How to implement a multi-year pathway that guides students through computer science education from elementary school to high school with real academic depth, rather than sporadic “exposure” models common today
• Leveraging coding curriculum that empowers every student to learn by balancing rigor and differentiation to meet and challenge students at their own level