Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/498229
I N C A L I F O R N I A , there are 78,000 open jobs for com- puter scientists, but only 4,800 computer science college graduates this year, according to code.org co-founder Hadi Partovi. And every state in the U.S. needs more computer programmers than schools are producing. Currently, 56 percent of California public high schools don't offer a single course in computer science or pro- gramming. There are very few advanced courses. This is not the case everywhere. In China, every child must learn computer programming. To incorporate computer science into public schools, the state Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 1200, which allows (but does not mandate) the University of California to count computer science toward the math requirement for UC admission. Also passed was As- sembly Bill 1764, which allows high schools to count computer science toward graduation requirements. It may be the home of Silicon Valley, but California is doing little to prepare students for computing jobs, say critics. K-12 schools have no curriculum stan- dards to follow for computer science. It is not part of the Common Core or Next Generation Science Standards. While high school enrollment has risen 15 percent since 2000, the number of classes in computer science or programming fell by 34 percent, reports the San Jose Mercury News, and the number of teachers assigned to those courses fell by 51 percent. Not everyone agrees with the importance of teaching coding to youngsters. Robert Ruiz, technology arts teacher at Lawrence Jones Middle School in Rohnert Park, says it may be a fad with little benefit. "I don't think it has value for 90 percent of students," says Ruiz, Rohnert Park-Cotati Educators Association. "We did the Hour of Code, and kids enjoyed it, but I'm not sure they grasped why they were doing it. The average person doesn't need to know coding. They can create their own website without knowing coding. To me, what's more important is that students know how to use Google Documents, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to create papers and presenta- tions for high school, college or the workplace." While Ruiz does not think coding should be a emphasized in elementary or middle schools, he would like to see it offered as a high school elective for students considering a career in comput- er science. Others, however, see coding as some- thing vital to prepare even very young students for the future. "I'd like to see it be part of every school's curriculum before high school, so students will be more likely to sign up for these classes in high school," says Allison Smith, a teacher at Brentwood Academy, East Palo Alto. "I'd especially like to see more girls encouraged to take classes in coding," adds Smith, Ravenswood Teachers Asso- ciation. "We need computer programmers badly in the Bay Area and throughout California. We are hiring thousands of them from other countries, because we don't have enough programmers here, even though it's a well-paying job. It's very important that students have exposure to this, so they can make an informed choice about whether it's a career they would like to pursue." Robert Ruiz, technology arts teacher at Lawrence Jones Middle School in Rohnert Park, helps student Aidan Janosa create a presentation that does not require coding. Why the need for coding? Feature 16 www.cta.org