Computer Science for All is the President’s proposed $4 billion initiative to empower all American students from kindergarten through high school to learn computer science and be equipped with the computational thinking skills they need to be creators in the digital economy, not just consumers, and to be active citizens in our technology-driven world. Our economy is rapidly shifting, and both educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that computer science (CS) is a “new basic” skill necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility.
Last year, there were more than 600,000 high-paying tech jobs across the United States that were unfilled, and by 2018, 51 percent of all STEM jobs are projected to be in computer science-related fields. Computer science and data science are not only important for the tech sector, but for so many industries, including transportation, healthcare, education, and financial services.
Fortunately, there is a growing movement being led by parents, teachers, states, districts, and the private sector to expand CS education.
- Apple is committing to expand coding opportunities for children with continued investment in training workshops and curriculum development.
- Cartoon Network will launch a $30 million campaign to engage young people in creative coding.
- Facebook will expand its outreach to parents, guardians, and learners in communities that are under-represented in the technology sector, and connect them to the resources to get started on how to code.
- Microsoft is announcing its campaign to have all states adopt “Make CS Count” policies and invest in CS education as a complement to existing $75 million initiative to support CS education
- Salesforce.org is announcing its plan to invest $13 million in 2016 to support CS and STEM education.
- Qualcomm will collaborate with Virginia Tech to create a Thinkabit Lab — part Maker Space, lab, and classroom — on its campus, with the goal of supporting computer science education for middle school students in the region.
- Code.org is committing to give computer science instruction workshops and other supports for 25,000 additional teachers this year.
The President’s Computer Science for All Initiative builds on these efforts by:
- Providing $4 billion in funding for states, and $100 million directly for districts in his forthcoming Budget to increase access to K-12 CS by training teachers, expanding access to high-quality instructional materials, and building effective regional partnerships. The funding will allow more states and districts to offer hands-on CS courses across all of their public high schools, get students involved early by creating high-quality CS learning opportunities in elementary and middle schools, expand overall access to rigorous science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) coursework, and ensure all students have the chance to participate, including girls and underrepresented minorities.
- Starting the effort this year, with more than $135 million in investments by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to support and train CS teachers, who are the most critical ingredient to offering CS education in schools. The agencies will make these investments over five years using existing funds.
- Calling on even more Governors, Mayors, education leaders, CEOs, philanthropists, creative media and technology professionals, and others to get involved. Today, Delaware, Hawaii and more than 30 school districts are committing to expand CS opportunities; Cartoon Network, Google and Salesforce.org are announcing more than $60 million in new philanthropic investments, and Microsoft is announcing a fifty-state campaign to expand CS; and Code.org is announcing plans to offer CS training to an additional 25,000 teachers this year. Read more about the more than 50 organizations responding to the President’s call to action HERE.
For more information, see the white house blog: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/01/30/computer-science-all.
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