Amazon Aims To Increase Influence On K-12 Schools and Make Kids Hardware-Savvy 25
theodp writes: A job posting for a US Senior Manager, Amazon Future Engineer reveals Amazon's ambitious expansion plans for K-12 CS education in the U.S. and beyond: "We believe computer science can unleash creativity and unlock human potential. Amazon Future Engineer is a global, childhood-to-career, education program designed to increase access to computer science education to young people from underserved and underrepresented communities. [...] We are looking for a leader to increase our reach and impact in the United States among students in our primary target population: students attending, graduating from, or living in neighborhoods served by Title I public schools. In the U.S., we currently reach more than 6,000 Title I schools and have awarded 300 college scholarships. We seek to continue scaling our reach and impact in Title I schools, but more importantly to grow our impact on the students we serve. [...] This leader will also work closely with the Amazon Future Engineer global product team as a Voice of the Customer conduit for students and teachers in the HQ regions and U.S. more broadly. In addition, this leader will serve as a colleague to other Product Managers leading local implementation of AFE programs in other countries (including among others, the UK, France, and Canada). [...] Amazon Future Engineer is a pillar program of Amazon in the Community. While the day-to-day work of AFE focuses on CS education, this role requires a systems-thinker who understands that educational needs intersect with other needs addressed by other AITC pillar programs (e.g., hunger, housing equity). This role will collaborate and coordinate with other Amazon community impact initiatives."
Interestingly, Code.org's GitHub documentation and code suggests that the tech-backed nonprofit has been helping Amazon achieve its Title I reach-and-impact ambitions. In the code, NCES data from the U.S. Dept. of Education is used with Amazon-specified cutoffs to qualify certain teachers and schools for participation in the $50M Amazon Future Engineer program, as well as their eligibility for other "Free stuff from Amazon". Comments in routine afe_high_needs explain how the code "determines if [a] school meets Amazon Future Engineer criteria" and is deemed "eligible if the school is any of the following: a) title I school, b) more than 40% URM [underrepresented minority] students, or c) more than 40% of students eligible for free and reduced meals." National School Lunch Program eligibility data is often used as a proxy for the number of students living in poverty (in 2015, a majority of public school students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch).
In a second job posting for a Sr. Product Manager, Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon reveals its plans for K-12 CS education also go beyond software: "We're looking for leader for a new initiative that combines hands-on STEM learning for K12 students with pathways into careers in hardware design engineering. You will envision and launch a new 'maker challenge' to ignite student's natural creativity to solve problems that matter to them through technology. Additionally, you will work backward from diverse hardware engineers working today to create an experimental early career scholar-internship cohort that allows students to gain a foothold as technology professionals. You will be adept at partnership with schools and nonprofits that serve underserved communities, business units that excel in hardware engineering, and Amazon Future Engineer's broader team. You will be instrumental in delivering a hands-on and hardware centric nucleus at the center of our company-wide goal to reach 1.6 million underrepresented students globally with equitable computer science learning."
Interestingly, Code.org's GitHub documentation and code suggests that the tech-backed nonprofit has been helping Amazon achieve its Title I reach-and-impact ambitions. In the code, NCES data from the U.S. Dept. of Education is used with Amazon-specified cutoffs to qualify certain teachers and schools for participation in the $50M Amazon Future Engineer program, as well as their eligibility for other "Free stuff from Amazon". Comments in routine afe_high_needs explain how the code "determines if [a] school meets Amazon Future Engineer criteria" and is deemed "eligible if the school is any of the following: a) title I school, b) more than 40% URM [underrepresented minority] students, or c) more than 40% of students eligible for free and reduced meals." National School Lunch Program eligibility data is often used as a proxy for the number of students living in poverty (in 2015, a majority of public school students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch).
In a second job posting for a Sr. Product Manager, Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon reveals its plans for K-12 CS education also go beyond software: "We're looking for leader for a new initiative that combines hands-on STEM learning for K12 students with pathways into careers in hardware design engineering. You will envision and launch a new 'maker challenge' to ignite student's natural creativity to solve problems that matter to them through technology. Additionally, you will work backward from diverse hardware engineers working today to create an experimental early career scholar-internship cohort that allows students to gain a foothold as technology professionals. You will be adept at partnership with schools and nonprofits that serve underserved communities, business units that excel in hardware engineering, and Amazon Future Engineer's broader team. You will be instrumental in delivering a hands-on and hardware centric nucleus at the center of our company-wide goal to reach 1.6 million underrepresented students globally with equitable computer science learning."
Amazon needs to feck off (Score:4, Insightful)
Ideally there would be a few classes in school highlighting the ugly side of megacorps
Re:Amazon needs to feck off (Score:4, Insightful)
No, I think Bezos (let’s face it, he’s still in charge) is more like one of the coal barons from the turn of the 20th century. He wants kids to grow up, indoctrinated in why Amazon is the only possible employer and how that’s just how life is - unaware that 90 hour work weeks aren’t the norm elsewhere, unaware that some other employers treat their employees with respect, unaware there are other options.
Re: (Score:2)
50 years from now Amazon will still sell guillotines with next day delivery.
Re: (Score:3)
No, I think Bezos (let’s face it, he’s still in charge) is more like one of the coal barons from the turn of the 20th century. He wants kids to grow up, indoctrinated in why Amazon is the only possible employer and how that’s just how life is - unaware that 90 hour work weeks aren’t the norm elsewhere, unaware that some other employers treat their employees with respect, unaware there are other options.
Hm. But schools have always been that. The type of indoctrination has varied over the years but the fact of it continues. A smart kid will get the training and resources they need to further their own plans while ignoring the corporate references.
And really, the key to surviving in a society where automation is rampant, is to learn to design, or build, or service the machines on which society increasingly depends. Pink Floyd notwithstanding.
Re:Amazon needs to feck off (Score:4, Interesting)
Governments don't want to pay for schools, however they know that they should have them, as it creates taxable workers in the future.
So they will welcome Corporate sponsored education, as it is basically funding the school without tax payers money (however it is the money of the consumers of the companies). So while they may be strings attached, it is better than not having it funded at all.
Re: (Score:3)
Governments don't want to pay for schools...
You're projecting your own experiences across a world made up of many different Governments. I mean if you're government doesn't want to pay for schools maybe you need to change your government - because you do realise that private schools only for those deemed worthy enough was where we started before universal education became a general obligation of civilised societies and their governments?
From the TLA department (Score:2)
Here's how they can do that. (Score:3)
PAY MORE TAXES and then fuck off because corporations shouldn't be influencing education.
Re: (Score:2)
PAY MORE TAXES and then fuck off because corporations shouldn't be influencing education.
Well, that would be nice, except like most things in life, it's never that simple.
In general, schools are pretty terrible at disclosing where money actually goes. Budget votes seem to boil down to either virtue signaling ("I want my children to have the best education, so I'll pay more taxes!", doesn't matter why they need more money, a 'no' vote is equated to "our children won't have a good education"), or the school system threatening pain points (sports/ECAs and full-day Kindergarten being the go-to exam
Re: (Score:2)
Well, that would be nice, except like most things in life, it's never that simple.
Oh, of course. Were it that simple then I wouldn't be complaining because it wouldn't be an issue to start with.
In general, schools are pretty terrible at disclosing where money actually goes.
This is actually one thing that I think actually could be fixed. Having better information enables people to make better decisions. That doesn't mean people will but it will enable them to do so.
or the school system threatening pain points (sports/ECAs
Honestly, sports and other ECAs requiring any significant equipment should be separately funded. School should be focused on education.
Maybe in some of the wealthier districts that's a possibility, but even middle-of-the-road districts aren't above raising taxes and taking Bezos money to fund a STEM program. For low-income neighborhoods, it's basically the only way those schools get a STEM program.
Sounds like a solid argument for raising corporate taxes.
Moreover, it's not like corporations have kept themselves out of the classroom.
It has no
Re: (Score:1)
save us, muskoz! (Score:1)
The problem with this approach (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
One thing we need to do for students is show them what lies beyond the popular media. I was raised in libraries, on NASA, with relatives in medical, design, and the like. Not all kids have that exposure
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Microsoft wants you to learn C#, Apple would prefer you learn Swift, Google would prefer Kotlin/Go.
So maybe only 5-10% of them will go forward to become IT workers. They will more likely want to learn what they are semi-familiar with instead of a restart. Get the basics that only supposed the companies wants, as it'll makes it harder to re-teach later in life. Get their hoo
The obvious result (Score:4, Insightful)
When governments don't support high-quality public education, naturally corporations and other opportunists will fill the void.
Life skills (Score:2)
We can't even teach children [newsobserver.com] how to sort out bullshit online and in the media. Everyone is lying to them about virtually everything.
Have a life-long career as a YouTube influencer? (the 0.001% that make it, but then grouse about increasing pressure from YT and advertisers on their channel content)
Videos that show how to make caramel in the microwave from simple household ingredients? (yeah, doesn't work. good way to get burned too)
Invest in NFTs to become fabulously wealthy? (also a good way to get burned)
W
$50M is Nothing (Score:3)
[I am a former Social Studies Teacher, School Technology Coordinator, and currently a Professor who studies Education in the US]
What's particularly crazy to me is that corporations like Amazon and their associated foundations all think that they can have an influence on our public education systems for incredibly small amounts of money. $50 million dollars is NOTHING at a national scale. The city of Buffalo, near where I live, has an annual school budget of over $900 million. That's just one city. And it's not even a particularly large school system (it doesn't include the suburbs surrounding Buffalo).
None of these corporations and their foundations understand the amount of money and scope of work required to educate children. Or they think they have a truly unique, transformational idea that will change education (they don't), so the money can be small. Or they think that school systems waste too much money (and they can and do waste money, but not at the scale that $900 million budget can be shrunk to less than $50 million!!!).
Microsoft Office (Score:2)
Lookee 'ere kiddies (Score:2)
Hello Boys and Girls, I'm your homeroom teacher this year. On my desk in front of you are arrayed an assortment of gizmos sponsored by Amazon. Never go near them, bad for you. Your instruction about Amazon Hardware is now complete. Be good.
I owe my soul to the company store... (Score:2)
Has there ever been a more dystopian phrase uttered than "childhood-to-career education program"?
future engineer (Score:1)
A teacher using Amazon Future Engineer material (Score:2)