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Governor Hutchinson visits Jonesboro on computer coding tour

governor.arkansas.gov

Governor Asa Hutchinson continued his statewide computer coding tour in northeast Arkansas yesterday.  He made stops at a career and technical center at Jonesboro High School and then went to Nettleton High School, where he met with students involved in computer coding classes and the EAST Lab.  Hutchinson says four-thousand students across the state are involved in the computer coding classes, which is part of his STEM initiative.  Republican State Senator John Cooper of Jonesboro says the computer coding classes will have a direct impact on the economy of Arkansas:

John Cooper.  Governor Hutchinson says over four-thousand high school students are enrolled in computer coding classes statewide, and that number is expected to grow over the next couple of years.  Hutchinson says the Arkansas model is being looked at by other states, and is receiving national recognition:

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Hutchinson says in today’s economy that sees a lot of fluctuation, computer education is one constant that can help the state’s economy.

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Nettleton Public Schools Superintendent James Dunivan tells KASU news the school district spent a lot of money in making buildings ready for the new technology that students are now using in classes, such as EAST lab and other computer classes.  He says the high school students are excited about coming to class:

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He also says that when it comes to computer technology, the teaching roles have been reversed:

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James Dunivan.  Hutchinson says the computer initiative is expected to be an economic driver for Arkansas. 

Johnathan Reaves is the News Director for KASU Public Radio. As part of an Air Force Family, he moved to Arkansas from Minot, North Dakota in 1986. He was first bitten by the radio bug after he graduated from Gosnell High School in 1992. While working on his undergraduate degree, he worked at KOSE, a small 1,000 watt AM commercial station in Osceola, Arkansas. Upon graduation from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a degree in Radio-Television Broadcast News, he decided that he wanted to stay in radio news. He moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas and worked for East Arkansas Broadcasters as news director and was there for 16 years.