Submission + - Microsoft Spins $4M Dept. of Education Grant Into an Ad for Minecraft
theodp writes: If you believe Coding, Creativity and the New Digital Fluency — "sponsored content from Minecraft Education" published by EdSurge and penned by Laylah Bulman, a senior program manager at Minecraft Education — the way to a child's creative coding heart is through Microsoft Minecraft. "One example of creative coding comes from a curriculum that introduces computer science through game design and storytelling in Minecraft, a game-based learning platform used by millions of students worldwide," writes EdSurge. "Developed by Urban Arts in collaboration with Minecraft Education, the program offers middle school teachers professional development, ongoing coaching and a 72-session curriculum built around game-based instruction. Designed for grades 6-8, the project-based program is beginner-friendly; no prior programming experience is required for teachers or students. It blends storytelling, collaborative design and foundational programming skills with a focus on creativity and equity."
The Urban Arts and Microsoft Creative Coders program touted by EdSurge in its advertorial was funded by a $4 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant that was awarded to Urban Arts in 2023 by the U.S. Dept. of Education "to create an engaging, game-based, middle school CS course using Minecraft tools" for 3,450 middle schoolers (6th-8th grades)" in New York and California (Urban Arts credited Minecraft for helping craft the winning proposal). A year prior, at the 2022 grand opening of the Microsoft Garage in New York City, Urban Arts alums pitched NYC Mayor Eric Adams on the idea that game development education can prepare public school students for the modern workplace as Microsoft President Brad Smith looked on. New York City is a Minecraft Education believer — the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment recently kicked off summer with the inaugural NYC Video Game Festival, which included the annual citywide Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Esports Competition in partnership with NYC Public Schools.
Interestingly, the $4M in federal funding for Creative Coders — as well as $8M in earlier EIR grants awarded to Urban Arts for STEM education — may have been unlocked thanks to the efforts of Microsoft and Smith. In his 2019 book Tools and Weapons, Microsoft President Brad Smith indicated Microsoft made a $50 million K-12 CS education spending pledge to secure Ivanka Trump's assistance in persuading Donald Trump to sign a 2017 presidential order "to ensure that federal funding [$1 billion] from the Department of Education helps advance [K-12] computer science," including via EIR STEM+CS grants.
The Urban Arts and Microsoft Creative Coders program touted by EdSurge in its advertorial was funded by a $4 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant that was awarded to Urban Arts in 2023 by the U.S. Dept. of Education "to create an engaging, game-based, middle school CS course using Minecraft tools" for 3,450 middle schoolers (6th-8th grades)" in New York and California (Urban Arts credited Minecraft for helping craft the winning proposal). A year prior, at the 2022 grand opening of the Microsoft Garage in New York City, Urban Arts alums pitched NYC Mayor Eric Adams on the idea that game development education can prepare public school students for the modern workplace as Microsoft President Brad Smith looked on. New York City is a Minecraft Education believer — the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment recently kicked off summer with the inaugural NYC Video Game Festival, which included the annual citywide Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Esports Competition in partnership with NYC Public Schools.
Interestingly, the $4M in federal funding for Creative Coders — as well as $8M in earlier EIR grants awarded to Urban Arts for STEM education — may have been unlocked thanks to the efforts of Microsoft and Smith. In his 2019 book Tools and Weapons, Microsoft President Brad Smith indicated Microsoft made a $50 million K-12 CS education spending pledge to secure Ivanka Trump's assistance in persuading Donald Trump to sign a 2017 presidential order "to ensure that federal funding [$1 billion] from the Department of Education helps advance [K-12] computer science," including via EIR STEM+CS grants.
