Giving Compass' Take:

• The Amazon Future Engineer Initiative will fund online lessons, coding camps, and computer science courses to drive more NYC students to pursue STEM careers. 

• What other funding can Amazon contribute to the future neighborhoods of HQ2 beyond education?

• Read about the social cost to big tech gentrifying neighborhoods. 

Amazon announced Tuesday that it will provide introductory and Advanced Placement (AP) computer science classes in more than 130 schools in the New York City area, according to an article on the company's Day One blog.

The Amazon Future Engineer initiative — which uses coding camps, online lessons and other programs to push underserved and low-income students to pursue computer science careers — will support the courses. They'll appear in schools across the city's five boroughs, including 30 schools in Queens — one of two chosen locations for the company's second headquarters.

Since September, Bezos's online retailing company has doubled down on its goal of helping students and families in underprivileged areas, announcing in November the launch of the Amazon Future Engineer program. And with the arrival of HQ2 to New York City, which struggles with high levels of poverty, and Northern Virginia comes a slew of computer science- and, more generally, STEM-related opportunities to both areas and their respective school communities.

While the New York City public school system is the nation's largest district — leaving many students to potentially benefit from Amazon's newly announced initiatives — schools across the U.S., and especially those in rural or high-poverty areas, don't have the luxury of benefiting from proximity to a major tech company.

Computer science has proven to be increasingly valuable, but sometimes there aren't enough teachers who are trained in the subject. Other times, it's because there isn't enough time to teach the subject.

But with more opportunities for grants, localized partnerships and assistive technology, bringing computer science to the classroom — and to the attention of teachers and students — could be on the horizon.

Read the full article about funding computer science courses by Jessica Campisi at Education Dive