Giving Compass' Take:

• Amazon is taking another stab at education, this time with computer science courses for students without access to that material through their school.

• Is Amazon uniquely or ideally equipped to do this work? Can partnerships help to make initiatives like this one succeed? 

• Learn about the TenMarks education program recently sunsetted by Amazon.

Despite fits and starts, Amazon is marching forth with its K-12 education efforts. Just days after the company quietly said it would be shutting down TenMarks’ online math and writing tools, it announced a partnership with Edhesive, a company that offers computer science curriculum to schools.

Through the partnership, Amazon will be sponsoring schools that want to implement Edhesive’s curriculum for AP Computer Science A or AP Computer Science Principles, says Emily Grad, Edhesive’ co-CEO in an interview with EdSurge. The standard price for a school that wants to use Edhesive’s computer science curriculum is $2500.

Any school can apply to the program. Grad said preference will go towards those that don’t already offer an AP computer science course, as well as schools that have financial need and a plan to recruit students from underrepresented populations, and have a teacher committed to teaching the course.

An Amazon spokesperson wrote over email that the companies “wish to activate up to 100 schools or provide [10,000] new users with this new course content.”

Read the full article on Amazon CS education by Tina Nazerian at EdSurge