Dive Brief:
- As part of Computer Science Education Week, the White House announced efforts in two federal agencies to expand access to and quality of computer science education in the nation’s K-12 schools.
- The Hill reports the National Science Foundation will spend $20 million on computer science education in 2017, adding to the $25 million it spent this year, and its primary focus will be training teachers.
- The National Science and Technology Council will work to support the integration of computer science and computational thinking into schools nationwide by creating a framework to guide continued federal efforts.
Dive Insight:
Computer Science Education Week is a fitting time to discuss the nation’s progress at integrating one of the newer STEM fields into K-12 education. According to Code.org, only 33 states allow students to count computer science courses toward their high school graduation requirements, leaving them to take classes, if they’re offered, as electives. But computer science classes still aren’t even an option for high schoolers in many districts.
Without classes that give students opportunities for deeper learning, they are more likely to be exposed only to coding. It is easy to host coding events after school or during summer camps, and many schools are embracing the concept. But computational thinking skills and an understanding of computer science fundamentals are what students will ultimately have to learn to be successful in careers.
