Computer Science for All!

Sustainable Horizons Institute is in Washington D.C. this week for National Science Foundation (NSF) community meetings on the heels of an exciting announcement of President Obama’s latest initiative, “CS for All.”  This groundbreaking program aims at providing comprehensive Computer Science (CS) education to all K-12 students in the U.S. through the NSF and the Department of Education (DoE).

This program is so important as Computer Science is now being considered a “basic skill” but it is still taught in less than 25% of America’s schools and 22 states don’t even allow CS to count toward graduation.  In schools where Computer Science is offered, stereotypes still prevail as minorities and women participate in these programs in a much lower number than desired.

The time is now, as it’s projected that in only two years over half of all STEM jobs will be in CS related fields and not only in the tech sector, but also in other industries like healthcare, transporation, and financial services.  Last year over half a million high-paying tech jobs went unfilled so President Obama’s goal for this initiative is, “offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one.”

Details of the program include:

  • NSF is committing $120 million over five years to accelerate its programs of CS education in schools across the U.S. 
  • NSF and DoE will co-fund an effort to prototype professional development for Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators who teach CS
  • NSF and the Department of Defense (DoD) will collaborate with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) to support implementation of the new Advanced Placement® CS Principles framework.
  • NSF will collaborate with the private sector to support professional development for high school CS teachers

This new, exciting program, “CS for All” will help ensure that all students in the United States have access to Computer Science education that will propel them to future success in a world where CS is ever more prevalent.

Read more about “CS for All” here:  https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/01/30/computer-science-all