CSTA has issued a new policy brochure that aims to alert local, state, and federal policymakers to the fact that Computer Science education in America sorely needs attention, and provides information to help them convey the need for action.
Among the suggestions for policy makers to help communicate the need to improve computer science education are:
* Emphasizing that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills include computer science and not just using computers across the curriculum
* Asking what state and local school authorities are doing to ensure that students are acquiring the technological skills they need to succeed.
* Encouraging students to pursue computer science careers as an important source of the nation’s leadership and competitiveness in the global economy.
* Explaining how outsourcing technology jobs can be combated by focusing on the education of future workers.
Policy makers are encouraged to assess the future needs of their states and to ensure that schools of education and on-the-job professional development opportunities are adequately preparing computer science teachers. They are also urged to prepare their communities for future opportunities by pointing to the resources of nonprofit groups like CSTA, that provide curriculum models and other supports to computer science teachers.
The brochures are being distributed through organizations representing policy makers, such as the National Governors Association, and through caucuses and committees of the US Congress and state legislatures that oversee technology education.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director