Over the years no topic has generated more frustration and concern for CSTA members than teacher certification/licensure and supplementary endorsement. As CSTA has been saying for a long time, teacher certification in this country is a dog’s breakfast (not all at all appealing) and it is time that states took a serious look at the ways in which they are actually discouraging good teachers from teaching in the field.
Today CSTA released a new report called Bugs in the System: Computer Science Teacher Certification in the U.S. This report (developed with support from Google) is a comprehensive study of all 50 states and the District of Columbia revealing that each state (and in some states each school district) has its own process, its own definition of Computer Science, and its own idea of where Computer Science fits in the academic program and who is qualified to teach it.
Bugs in the System reveals that only two states (Arizona and Wisconsin) require teachers to be certified/licensed in Computer Science and in many states there are no requirements for teaching Computer Science at all, meaning teachers with little or even no Computer Science knowledge can teach it and teacher preparation institutions are unlikely to offer programs for new Computer Science teachers.
What doesn’t immediately jump to the forefront of the report is how incredibly difficult it was to collect this information and why that, in itself, is a critical part of the story. It took CSTA 18 months, hundreds of emails, hundreds of phone calls, and huge amounts of persistence to track down the information contained in the state report cards. This is because in many cases, the people responsible for determining and enforcing the regulations have no idea what they are for computer science or, in a surprising number of cases, what computer science actually is. Many administrators are still confusing computer science with basic computer literacy and with educational technology (the use of computers to support learning in other disciplines).
What we are lovingly calling “the Bugs report” does provide very practical suggestions to address the current certification craziness. These include:

• Establish a system of certification/licensure that ensures that all Computer Science teachers have appropriate knowledge of and are prepared to teach the discipline content.
• Establish a system of certification/licensure that accounts for teachers coming to the discipline from multiple pathways with appropriate requirements geared to those pathways.
• Require teacher preparation institutions and organizations (especially those purporting to support STEM education) to include programs to prepare Computer Science teachers.
• Computer Science offers enormous opportunities to current and future students, so our national level failure to ensure that there are enough teachers who are well prepared to teach Computer Science makes no sense, but we need the support of the entire educational community to make the necessary improvements.
  Projections show that in the year 2020 there will be 9.2 million jobs in the “STEM fields” — those that rely on science, technology, engineering and mathematics — and half of those jobs will be in computing and IT and there is not nearly enough talent in the pipeline to fill these vacancies. Addressing the current problems with Computer Science teacher certification/licensure is an important step towards ensuring all students have the opportunity to take the courses that will provide the fundamental knowledge and skills to prepare them for future computing jobs.
  Chris Stephenson
  CSTA Executive Director

How do you fit in amongst the roughly 800 teachers who shared what they teach, how they are supported by their schools, their background and what’s important to them? A new survey that answers these questions has just been released. Administered by the University of Chicago’s Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education and Urban Education Institute, the survey is part of a larger study of high school computer science in America called “Building an Operating System for Computer Science Education”.
Along with the results of the survey are several dozen reactions to the results from other teachers, administrators, CS professors, education researchers and leaders. These reactions help interpret the analysis of the results and also, more importantly, highlight some implications of these results for the CS field and for the teaching and learning of computer science in general.
Two things stood out to me when I looked at survey results. First, computer science teachers, despite still reporting that they are the only CS teacher (or one of a few) in their community, reported feeling supported by their schools and administration. This was completely surprising to me. (Perhaps, it is the self-selecting nature of survey respondents, who are more likely to feel happy, satisfied and proud of the fact that they teach CS.) But, maybe this is evidence that the advocacy work of CSTA has been working and the shifting public view of computer science education has led to more schools supporting the teaching of computer science.
Second, we have a real problem with misconceptions about computer science, still, in 2013. And as the survey results show, as a community, we are still not on the same page about what computer science education is either. At the moment, the word “code” is gaining attention as the stuff students should learn with computers, and whatever stigma used to be attached to programming seems to be dissipating – which is good. But we have a long way to go in clarifying what a high-quality, rigorous computer science education is and that that includes more that just programming.
Still it turns out that even “code” is a new concept to the uninitiated. Last year, a high-level administrator at my school, a person I spent four years convincing to include computer science as a graduation requirement (successfully, a requirement that has been in place for 5 years now!), and a school at which I have been teaching AP Computer Science for almost 10 years, approached me in the wake of the Code.org video to ask: “Baker, do you know how to code?”, as if to emphasize something paranormal in our presence. “Is that something you could teach our kids?”
Boy, we have a long way to go! The University of Chicago study is a good start to understanding why, and what paths we might take to truly expand the teaching and learning of computer science in this country. Check it out!
Baker Franke
CSTA Leadership Cohort Member
University of Chicago Laboratory High School (Chicago, IL)

The House has officially passed HR 5, the Student Success Act, by a vote of 221-207. The bill would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and includes some provisions helpful to computer science education and educators, thanks to the approval of an amendment from Representative Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Representative Jared Polis (D-CO).
The proposal from representatives Polis and Brooks (bi-partisan support!) changes some provisions of HR 5 to clarify that computer science educators should be supported by the bill’s professional development initiatives. You can see the debate of the amendment and the compelling statistics around the need for more K-12 computer science education here:

CSTA is deeply encouraged encouraged that the discipline provided a moment of bipartisan support during the debate, with the amendment winning broad support from the House of Representatives.
While the ESEA reauthorization process moves forward, CSTA and the network of computer science education advocates will be pursuing multiple strategies and opportunities to elevate the profile of the most important discipline of the 21st Century.
This is an advocacy win worth celebrating and it is important to note that CSTA and the many members of the Computing in the Core coalition played a critical role in this win.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA, Executive Director

Code.Org has just released a new video promoting computer science that may be especially effective for creating broader public awareness among policy leaders and parents.
The video, Code – the new literacy is shorter than the previous Code.org video and is focused specifically on the importance of computer science knowledge.
The video includes new footage from high tech industry leaders such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg and Code.org founder Hadi Parvoti notes that, like the previous release from Code.org, it is intended as an advocacy tool to help raise public consciousness about how critical these skills are for all students.
“This short 2-min video is focused on computer science education as a matter of literacy. It is a great tool for engaging administrators and policy makers to pitch the case for teaching CS to all students, especially at an early age.”
Code.org has stepped up to take a leadership role on state-level advocacy to ensure that all students have access to rigorous computer science in schools. CSTA is part of a community of CS education organizations working with Code.org on this critical initiative.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

Yesterday evening, I saw She++, one of the most amazing documentary videos. Two of my students, Ellora Israni and Ayna Agarwal, produced this documentary on young women and CS/IT. They obviously got a good deal of professional help, as computing students don’t, on their own, produce such a professional quality documentary.
My understanding is that it is free for K-12 schools who would like to arrange a viewing. (I believe it has been shown in a half dozen countries in the past 24 hours.) I had previously blogged about the trailer (which has been seen more than 20,000 times in the 6 weeks it’s been available), and the entire documentary is, in my opinion, better than the trailer.
While the majority of the women in the video are college age or professional, there is a nice scene involving three high school girls.
Do contact She++, and show this documentary to your students and colleagues!
Steve Cooper
Chair, CSTA Board of Directors

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the two and a half minute video of President Obama on Google+ Hangout.

When asked directly about whether requiring CS programming in high schools would be a good thing, he emphatically says yes. He also talks about getting programming, Web design and other computing skills into high school to make students aware of career options, whether for immediate employment after high school or further study on college. Now, the question is: how do we leverage this type of support in the abstract into actual policy at the state level?
Dave Reed
College Faculty Representative
CSTA Board of Directors

Planning is well underway for 2013 CSTA Annual Conference, formerly known as the CS&IT Symposium. This year’s conference will be held in Quincy, MA (just outside of Boston) on July 15-16. You can check out the program at:
http://cstaconference.org
as well as register for the conference and workshop(s). A few interesting tidbits about this year’s conference:

Dave Reed
CSTA Conference Program Chair
College Faculty Rep, CSTA Board of Directors

This year, for the first time, the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) specifically include computer science!
The PAEMST award is the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 mathematics and science teaching. The PAEMST program authorizes the President to bestow up to 108 awards each year. Awards are given to mathematics and science teachers from each of the 50 states and four U.S. jurisdictions. The award recognizes those teachers who develop and implement a high-quality instructional program that is informed by content knowledge and enhances student learning. Since the program’s inception, more than 4,200 teachers have been recognized for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.
And thanks to the hard work and dedication of National Science Foundation Program Officer Jan Cuny, for the first time this year computer science teachers have been formally acknowledged and encouraged to apply. Eligible teachers must meet the following criteria:

Applications for nomination are due May 1, 2013 and if you know an exemplary computer science teacher, we strongly encourage you to nominate her or him.
It is also important to note that, as technical guidance, the PAEMST award reviewers will be referring specifically to the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director

This is Computer Science Education Week (CS Ed Week) i and I have been planning for this since August. This morning, I began my celebration with an audio announcement played over the school’s intercom system. You can find the announcement at:
http://www.csta.acm.org/Advocacy_Outreach/sub/CSEdWeek.html
I also plan to show my computer science classes the five CSTA Computer Science videos, one each day, that celebrate the contributions that computer science has made in other fields. You can find the videos also at:
http://www.csta.acm.org/Advocacy_Outreach/sub/CSEdWeek.html
In addition, this evening I will be participating in a recognition ceremony during the school board meeting celebrating CS Ed Week. I was asked to lead the flag salute and speak for one minute about CS Ed Week. The school board will be honoring students enrolled in computer science throughout the district. I was asked to select two students for this honor. It was a difficult decision, but I selected two female students that have shown great promise in the class.
I have reflected and continue to reflect about what I can say in one minute. I plan to acknowledge the great work the students have done and how they have an advantage over students who have not taken on the challenge of a computer science class. I will also discuss the great job prospects that are waiting for these students after they graduate from college if they choose to major in computer science. Additionally, I plan to include how computers have permeated our society, are here to stay and programmers will be necessary to make all these devises do what people want. I just hope I can include everything I want to say within one minute.
The next activity will be on Wednesday. The computer science classes will be walking to a nearby business to be given a tour of their innovations. The students were very excited when I told them about the field trip and they are looking forward to it. They want to see what the business does that is across from the school’s parking lot.
The last activity I have planned is on Thursday. I will hold an open house during the lunch break. A former student will be participating who recently graduated with a degree in computer science. She will be discussing her college experience and her current job. My current students will be demonstrating AppInventor, Scratch and Alice. There will be hardware displays, a birthday cake for Grace Hopper and other snacks as well as silicon wrist bands inscribed with “Computer Science Education for all”. I hope this will turn into a recruiting event for the computer science classes.
This is what I have planned for this week. What are you doing? I want to hear your ideas and I encourage you to also make a pledge on the CS Ed Week website at:
http://www.csedweek.org/forms/thanks/pledge-step2-activity-2012
Myra Deister
At-Large Representative

Today Microsoft’s General Counsel Brad Smith spoke at the Brookings Institution at an event on education and immigration reform and the presentation (and the report on which it is based) represents a huge leap forward in the effort to make computer science courses available to all high school students.
In a new groundbreaking report called A National Talent Strategy: Ideas for Securing U.S. Competitiveness and Economic Growth, Microsoft argues that it is crucial to the country’s future that there be more access to computer science in K-12 education in high schools. This report calls for a new Race to the Future that will help address the critical talent gap in computer science, not just for the high tech industry but for every single industry on the country that depends on computing for automation and innovation.
Speaking at the Brookings Institute today, Smith made a powerful and compelling argument for the key place of computer science within STEM and the link to jobs that are already going unfilled.
It is important to note that Smith and his team at Microsoft have been working with the Computing in the Core group that includes CSTA and ACM and that their passionate engagement in K-12 computer science education issues have been informed by key reports from CSTA and ACM.
I strongly encourage you to watch the Brookings Institute webcast (and perhaps play it for your students!) and to download and read this new report.
Chris Stephenson
CSTA Executive Director