Alarmingly, just one in 10 American schools currently offer regular computer science classes in their curricula. If I could pick just one word to describe that trend, it might have to be ‘disconnect.’ It doesn’t make any sense, you see, because jobs involving computer science skills are being created four or five times as fast as anybody with the right amount of qualifications can fill them. You would think that schools, districts and maybe even the nation would take a step back and try a little harder at making sure that computer science is for all.
How to Build a Successful Computer Science Program
While the majority of schools do not have any established computer science programs to speak of, there are those that have forged ahead and begun building theirs. These programs tend to start simple in the elementary grades and gradually evolve into more complex programming by the time kids reach high school. Or, at least, that’s what the goal should be. Computer science has quickly become the cornerstone of the STEM workforce—remember that workforce that’s creating jobs much faster than graduates can fill them? In order to create an environment for students to excel and get ready for the future, schools must make STEM a priority.
Computer science pilot programs, if instituted properly, can boost test scores in math and science as well as yield immediate impact on student development, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Oftentimes, the best way to get started is to create something that’s grounded, can be teacher-run and will easily engage students. Basic coding is probably the ideal place for students to start when they are first getting into the world of computer science. It’s easy to introduce kids to the concepts of coding because there are a wide variety of age-appropriate tools that illustrate the principles of learning to code and allow students to engage in real-life examples with challenges for kids in any grade. Whether it’s color coding, programming robots or creating microcomputer-powered devices, it shouldn’t be too hard for computer science to find its way into your curriculum.
Since many EdTech products are designed specifically for beginners, teachers should be relieved to know that they do not have to be computer science pros in order to help their students learn. Students can learn authentic and transferrable computer skills through simple game-based and project-based learning challenges right in the classroom. This approach is actually very useful at teaching high-tech, job-prep skills with technology that is neither costly nor overwhelming. Establishing realistic goals is all it takes to know your computer science program is doing well. Programs that introduce kids to computer science in the early grades and do so in a way that’s fun and relatable are extremely valuable in helping them grow and develop, hopefully helping reduce the number of schools without this critical STEM discipline every single day.
Computer Science Needs a Bigger Role in Education
STEM education, showing no signs of slowing down, is the term given to a modern approach of integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics into everyday classrooms. This movement started out (and is very much still) designed to expose students to the real-world challenges they will face since much of our workforce now revolves around technology. One thing that STEM does not necessarily include, however, is computer science. If that seems strange to you, there’s a good reason for that. Computer science is an absolutely in-demand industry in our country and around the world. As such, students should be learning the language, building the skills and becoming the experts that employers are looking for to fill what are honestly pretty lucrative jobs.
Computer science has been dubbed “the most important STEM field for a modern economy,” but has the fewest amount of high school students being exposed to it. With all the interest in computer science skills providing students with a ticket to success, there is still a lot of room for it to improve. Many educators and lawmakers, however, still believe that computer science remains secondary to the classic sciences, like chemistry, biology and physics, which have been a part of the education system for centuries. The problem with this is that students are not graduating to go on to be biologists and chemists anymore—they are going on to work with computers and computer science education is not keeping up with this demand. The jobs are there—almost 3 million of them to be exact—but there continues to be a shortage of qualified candidates.
Computer Science education advocates are calling for the hesitance among administrators to end. The first thing they say needs to happen is to dramatically expand on the schools that currently offer computer science courses (which is only about 25 percent). Computer science also needs to be more widely available in less affluent school systems as well because, as biased as it sounds, minority students, statistically, are falling behind. The same goes for girls; educators need to push their female students a little more, encouraging them to actively explore the STEM fields starting with an introduction to computer science in grade school. Perhaps most important, however, is the need to start early. The computer science skills gap begins well before high school and students decide whether they’re good at it as early as second grade. Offering more courses at the high school level is not good enough. Students need computer science in order to succeed—and they need it from a very young age.
Every Student Should be Taking Computer Science by 2025
National, state and local governments have been trending towards requiring schools to provide students with computer science classes aggressively for about a year now. In New York state, in particular, that goal seems to be well on its way to becoming a reality. Reports indicate that they are already halfway toward reaching their $40 million fundraising goal and have already added computer science curricula—not classes—to well over 200 schools. Since the Computer Science for All initiative aims to reach every student in the state by 2025, this hot start is pretty good and, hopefully, it can be sustainable and set an example for the rest of the country.
Initiatives like this one are designed and implemented with the hope that students start learning the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. Educators in other parts of the country should take notice, especially of some of the stipulations present in the plan. All students, for example, will be guaranteed at least once computer science course at each level of their education. That means that they will take and pass at least one course in elementary, middle and high school in order to be allowed to move on to the next grade level. It’s not just any old computer science course either—this legislature is designed to provide kids with high-quality courses. Teachers have already been trained in how to best educate these students over the next 10 years with improvements expected to occur every single year.
These teaches are the ones who will ultimately help this state and all other school systems meet their goals of 100 percent computer science availability. By showing dedication to learning new and sometimes scary content, embracing students’ and their own creativity and expanding opportunities for all students, teachers have a monumental role—and one they should be able to accomplish—in the current set-up. Since two of the most glaring hindrances in providing kids with computer science education are funding and teachers with knowhow, there seems to be a lot of progress being made. With access to these courses, students will learn to think critically and computationally while they create and solve problems with technology. It’s estimated that the initiative in New York alone will prepare hundreds of thousands of students for the real world. Now, that’s a good start.
Keys to a Well-rounded Computer Science Program
If you haven’t figured it out by now, we’re strongly in favor of teaching computer science in K-12 schools—and teaching it a lot. Why, though, are computer science skills so beneficial to have? Is it because today’s kids will be spending their careers filling in spreadsheets? Not exactly. The lucrative careers of tomorrow are all but guaranteed to be coding heavy. Whatever language they know, they will be valuable to employers. And, if they know more than one, they’ll be even more valuable. Educators cannot just throw their students into the fire, however, as they need to meet demand with reason. Computer science education will only work if it’s well-rounded, so here’s how that can be accomplished.
Knowing where to start and what you hope to accomplish are critical parts of computer science education. In grade school, computer science programs should contain a mix of coding, computational thinking and computer science though they do not necessarily need to be divided equally. To put that into context a bit, STEM educators argue that teaching kids coding alone would be like teaching them handwriting without instructing them how to fashion a well-written essay. When learning a programming language, certain characteristics of that language make it more appealing to educators as well as students. Languages, for example, that are easy to learn and widely applicable are probably ones that deserve more time spent on them in school. Specifically, teachers may want to make sure that their coding students are learning a language that’s easily adaptable in educational projects and environments.
Educators who have had experience in teaching computer science have offered ideas for achieving the proper balance in the classroom. While there may be some initial hiccups, it’s important for students who desire the most well-rounded computer science education to be exposed to a mix of both functional and procedural programming. Coding is a powerful classroom exercise if, for nothing else, the opportunity it gives students to learn something, immediately apply it and instantly see its results in action and working correctly. To really round out its impact in education, teachers have even begun incorporating small samples of computer science in other subjects, like math, chemistry, physics and even English and history. This discipline is powerful and, with a focused dedication to advancing coding, computational thinking and computer science skills, we could soon realize its full potential.
Should Computer Science be a Requirement?
Well, it’s a tough question. Obviously, if the skills students learn in computer science classes are being questioned on the basis of usability in the real world, then the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ It’s never that simple, though, is it? There are other factors to consider. Would it cause less skilled students to fall behind? Would schools be able to afford equipment? Would teachers be able to teach it? And, would kids even enjoy learning it? Plus, then there’s the question of what computer science would replace in the curriculum. Could we really see districts doing away with core subjects like history, art or social studies? What it might just come down to is which class and which skills are more important for students to have in the 21st century.
The decision may be made by districts and/or schools, but more than likely it will come down from the government. Depending on what bills are proposed over the next few years and the feelings of those who are voting on them, national and/or state governments could very well decide this debate. In Delaware, for example, a bill was introduced that will require all high schools to offer a computer science course by the time the 2020-21 school year rolls around. Under this plan, the course would fulfill a math or science credit with the goal of molding more tech-savvy students. Kids, oftentimes, don’t know about all of the tech-focused job openings around them and would not be qualified to fill them down the road anyway. Hopefully, with this guarantee of computer science courses, teachers can ignite an incurable interest and steer them toward success.
Realistically, we think that K-12 schools, specifically high schools, should be able to introduce effective computer science programs in four or five years (as the bill mandates). It may seem optimistic, but how much longer can school systems afford to hold their students back? To be honest, it’s probably already been too long. Since teachers won’t all necessarily be on board with the government mandating their curricula, there may reportedly be state-created computer science standards to address this concern. The No. 1 concern among educators continues to be a fear that their school does not have the resources to implement a computer science curriculum effectively. It will lead to better futures for students, though. So, should schools bear the financial and instructional burdens in order to ensure student success? The debate goes on.
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