FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Brie Cox Brie@GRCAdvising.com
JANUARY 28, 2022

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY–MindSpark Learning, one of the premier educational training organizations operating in the US and 88 countries, launched their Educational Accelerator for Artiﬁcial Intelligence in the state of Kentucky today in partnership with the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC). The six-month education accelerator program kicked oﬀ Thursday and Friday, January 27 & 28, 2022, at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington.

Five KEDC member districts joined the program with a KEDC team led by Dr. Jim Evans. The participating districts include Breathitt, Fayette, Fleming, Logan, and Rowan.
MindSpark oﬀered the program to KEDC in 2021 after receiving a grant from IBM to upskill educators on the applications and integration of Artiﬁcial Intelligence to be used in the K-12 classrooms. Los Angeles, California, and York, Canada were the ﬁrst two cohorts within the Education Accelerator program, making Lexington, Kentucky, the second US region to incorporate AI-powered by MindSpark Learning. This can be the future of education in Kentucky!

More on the IBM AI Educational Accelerator program:
Bootcamp for Educators

The IBM AI Education Accelerator (EA) is a six-to-nine month leadership program designed to support schools and/or districts in developing innovative cultures capable of elevating their future, empowering their teachers, and maximizing student agency. The AI EA provides a customizable experience that helps schools and/or districts solve their biggest problems of practice through root cause analysis, developing an entrepreneurial mindset, and embracing a bias toward action.
This EA has a special focus on AI and CS. Participating groups can be along any part of their implementation path from very early stages to those who already have robust oﬀerings and courses. This EA will not only build awareness of the opportunities in AI for all students but intersect them with industry partners and mentors in the sector.
Why AI?

AI is all around us, from self-driving cars, digital assistants, rideshare apps, banking apps, and so much more. Experts say AI will change 100% of jobs over the next 10 years, but there is a fear that the next generation isn’t prepared for the shift to AI. Therefore, it’s imperative for teachers to learn how to infuse their content and curriculum with the knowledge, skills, and values driving innovation in Computer Science and AI today so that their students are prepared to be successful in the modern workforce, regardless of their career paths.

Kentucky Educational Development Corporation

Mindspark Learning Partners with KEDC