Having a teacher in the classroom rather than offering an online course is one of the keys to increasing student interest in computer science classes, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday during an event that celebrated Arkansas’ leadership in the area.

The National Computer Science Summit for State Leaders brought education leaders from 30 states and Washington, D.C., to the Governor’s Mansion. Those included the governors of Iowa and South Carolina.

Hutchinson made requiring high schools to teach computer science one of his main campaign issues during his 2014 election race. He was inspired by his 11-year-old granddaughter, Ella Beth, who had created an app for the campaign.

He successfully passed the mandate through the Legislature during the 2015 session. The law requires schools to offer computer science as a math or science credit. The state also provides $5 million every two years. It pays for teacher training and $5,000 stipends, cash prizes for coding competitions, grants for equipment, and student awards for high Advanced Placement scores.       MORE