Vviewpoints
DOI: 10.1145/1562164.1562178
it policy
the Long road to Computer
science Education reform
Viewing the factors impeding improvements to CS education
from kindergarten through grade 12 from a policy perspective.
WHEnEVEr CoMpUtEr sCi- Entists discuss the hu- man capital issues that plague the computing fields—the significant
lack of diversity among computer science graduates (especially at the master’s and Ph.D. levels),a the underrepresentation of women in computing,
and the general decline in interest
among U.S. students in the science
and engineering fields—inevitably, the
lamentable state of computer science
education in the U.S.’s primary and
secondary schools figures prominently.
PHo ToGRAPH CoURTEsy oF THE UnITED s TATEs nAVAL ACADEMy
While there are significant issues
within higher education, there is a
growing realization that we must address challenges at the beginning of
the education pipeline. Excellent computer science classes are being taught
in U.S. schools today, but looking
across the country they are the exception to the rule. In general, we find too
few students have the opportunity to
take engaging and rigorous computer
science courses in high school; there is
little diversity among those that do. Too
few opportunities exist for professional
development for teachers. Too little innovation has happened in creating an
engaging and rigorous curriculum for
a Traditionally underrepresented minorities
(Black or African-American, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native) are even more underrepresented at the master’s and Ph.D. levels, according to the 2007–2008 CRA Taulbee
Survey; see http://www.cra.org/taulbee/CRA-
TaulbeeReport-StudentEnrollment-07-08.pdf
approximately 200 7th–10th grade students from around the u.S. attended the 2009 Summer
Science, Technology, engineering and math (STem) Program at the u.S. Naval academy
in annapolis, mD. The five-day program offered real-life applications in subjects including
forensics, mechanics, robotics, biometrics, and computer stimulation and encourages
students to pursue engineering and technology studies in high school and college.
students. There is general agreement
that this is a national failing—and one
that we can ill afford—as computing is
a central part of society, and key enabler
of innovation and economic growth.
If “fixing” computer science education in kindergarten through grade 12
(K– 12) is so clearly necessary, why has
there not been more progress in the
U. S.? In an age when the ability to think
computationally already is, or certainly
will be, a prerequisite for success in so
many endeavors, why do we still strug-
gle to reform K– 12 computer science
and make it more relevant?
In large part, it is because reform of
the K– 12 education system at any level
or in any subject is notoriously difficult. Control over education is decentralized. States and school districts
play varying leadership roles in determining what students must learn.
Federal policy and bureaucracy, driven largely through strings attached
to federal funds, layer on top of state
and local responsibilities. Add to this