Dive Brief:
- A partnership to promote K-12 computer science education policy goals for states was announced by Governors at last week's annual National Governors Association Winter Meeting.
- The new partnership intends to help states advance computer science education by setting out three policy goals.
- First, high schools should offer at least one computer science class; second, teachers should be offered professional development in computer science; and last, K-12 computer science standards need to be created and formalized to guide implementation.
Dive Insight:
Governors and districts without coding in the classroom can look to examples of schools that are starting to roll out computer science initiatives, a popular move that a reported 90% of parents support.
More than 60 school districts, including Houston and Los Angeles, had already started offering computer science in classrooms two years ago. In New York City, all public schools are now required to offer computer science courses to all students by 2025. The cost is projected to be $81 million over ten years, and an estimated 5,000 teachers will be trained to support the initiative.
Washington lawmakers passed a bill last June that established computer science standards. Arkansas also requires all traditional and charter schools to offer computer science courses. Chicago has also announced a 5-year "Computer Science for All" program.
School officials should note that some education experts say a focus on teacher training is the best use of $4 billion in federal money that is meant to help bring more computer science to the classroom.
