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De Blasio Announces Computer Science Education For All Public School Students In Next Decade
By
Lauren Evans
Published Sep 16, 2015
Modified Apr 11, 2018
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Sep 16, 2015
Modified Apr 11, 2018
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Despite ample evidence that jobs in computing are growing at twice the national rate as other professions, public schools have fallen short when it comes to teaching the subject to its students. Mayor de Blasio has plans to rectify that for NYC public schools, and will announce today that every student will have access to computer science education in the next decade.
The program, called "Computer Science For All," will be funded by an $81 million public-private partnership aimed at teaching kids skills like coding, robotics and web design. Chicago and San Francisco have both committed to exposing students to computer science throughout the bulk of their education, with Chicago having pledged to making a yearlong computer science class a high school graduation requirement by 2018.
The challenge lies in training enough teachers, since there does not currently exist a state teacher certification in computer science, and current data reveals that fewer than 10 percent of city schools offer any form of computer science education, the Times reports.
The National Science Foundation intends to train 10,000 teachers to teach the subject, though the issue, of course, is that anyone sufficiently knowledgable in the field would often prefer the higher paycheck that often comes with working directly in it.
The other challenge will be diversifying the field of students who pursue careers in computer science: Of the 738 students who took the AP test in 2014, only 19 percent were black or Latino, and only 29 percent were female.
The mayor will also announce plans for a new reading initiative, as well as expanded AP courses. According to the Post, around 120 high schools don’t currently offer a single AP class.
Tagged
computer science
education
public school
Lauren Evans
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