SupportK-12ComputerScience
EducationinMassachusetts
Computers ciencedrives jobgrowthandinnovationthroughout
oureconomyands ociety.Computingoccupations arethe
number1sourceofallnewwagesintheU.S.andmake
uptwo-thirds ofallprojectednewjobs inSTEMfields ,making
ComputerScienceoneofthemos tin-demandcollegedegrees .
Andcomputingis us edallaroundus andinvirtuallyevery
field.It’s foundationalknowledgethatalls tudents need.But
computers cienceis marginalizedthroughouteducation.75
percentofU.S.s chools don’tevenoffercomputers cienceand
only8%ofSTEMgraduates s tudyit.Weneedtoimprove
acces s foralls tudents ,includinggroups whohavetraditionally
beenunderrepres ented.
ComputerscienceinMassachusetts
Mas s achus etts currentlyhas 17,482opencomputingjobs(3.0times theaveragedemandratein
Mas s achus etts ).
Theaverages alaryforacomputingoccupationinMAis $102,015,whichis s ignificantlyhigherthanthe
averages alaryinthes tate($59,010).
Mas s achus etts hadonly1,609computersciencegraduatesin2014;only21%werefemale.
Only1,784highschoolstudentsinMas s achus etts tooktheAPComputerScienceexamin2015;only
22%werefemale;only102s tudents wereHis panic;only51s tudents wereblack;only4s tudents were
NativeAmerican.
Only137schoolsinMA(30%ofMAs chools withAPprograms )offeredtheAPComputerSciencecours ein
2014-2015.TherearefewerAPexams takenincomputers ciencethaninanyotherSTEMs ubjectarea.
Whatcanyoudotoimprove
K-12CSeducation?
1. Callonyours chooltoexpandcomputers cience
offerings ateverygradelevel.
2. As kyourlocals chooldis tricttoallowcomputers cience
cours es tos atis fyacoremathors ciencerequirement.
3. Vis itwww.code.org/educate/3rdpartytofindoutabout
cours es andcurriculumfromavarietyofthirdparties ,
includingCode.org.
4. Vis itwww.code.org/promote/MAtolearnmoreabout
s upportingcomputers cienceinyours tate.
5. Signthepetitionatwww.change.org/computerscienceto
join100,000Americans as kingCongres s tos upport
computers cience.
Code.org'sImpactinMassachusetts
Thereare3,107teacheraccountsand142,250studentaccountsinCodeStudioin
Massachusetts.
Code.orghas partneredwiththefollowings chooldis trict(s ):ArlingtonPublicSchools ,Chelms fordSchool
Dis trict,LittletonPublicSchools ,MiltonPublicSchools ,NeedhamPublicSchools ,NewtonPublicSchools ,
WalthamPublicSchools ,andWelles leyPublicSchools .
4Code.orgK-12facilitators inMas s achus etts haveprovidedprofes s ionallearningfor524elementary
teachers.
Code.orghas providedprofes s ionallearningfor0middleschoolteachersand34highschool
teachersinMas s achus etts toteachcomputers cience.
“ComputerScienceisaliberalart:it’ssomethingthat
everybodyshouldbeexposedtoandeveryoneshould
haveamasteryoftosomeextent.”
—SteveJobs
Whatcanthefederalgovernmentdotosupport
computerscienceingradesK-12?
Acces s tocomputers ciencecours es is abipartis anis s uethatcanbeaddres s edwithoutaddingtotheFederal
budget.Tellyourrepres entatives inWas hington,D.C.thatyous upportfundingtoexpandacces s tothis
foundational21s t-centurys ubjectinyourcommunitythatwillAmericaremains ecureandgloballycompetitive.
Over100,000Americans ,CEOs ofthelarges tcompanies ineverymajorindus try,29governors ,andmajorK-12
educationleaders havealljoinedforces tocallonCongres s tos upportthis idea.Youcans eetheiropenletter
(andaddyournameins upport)atwww.change.org/computerscience.
Whatcanyourstatedotoimprovecomputer
scienceeducation?
States andlocals chooldis tricts needtoadoptabroadpolicyframeworktoprovidealls tudents withacces s to
computers cience.Thefollowingeightrecommendations areamenuofbes tpractices thats tates canchoos efrom
tos upportandexpandcomputers cience.Notalls tates willbeinapos itiontoadoptallofthepolicies ,andno
s tatehas accomplis hedall8yet.Readmoreaboutthes e8policyideas at
https://code.org/files/Making_CS_Fundamental.pdf.
Mas s achus etts has es tablis hedrigorous K-12computers ciences tandards .
Mas s achus etts has allocatedfundingforrigorous computers cienceprofes s ionaldevelopmentandcours e
s upport.
Mas s achus etts doesnotyethaveclearcertificationpathways forcomputers cienceteachers .The
expans ionofK-12computers cienceeducationis hamperedbythelackofqualifiedcomputers cienceteachers .
Wecangrowtheirranks bycreatingclear,navigable,andrewardingprofes s ionalpaths forcomputers cience
teachers .
Mas s achus etts currentlyhasnoincentives forins titutions ofhighereducationtooffercomputers cienceto
pre-s erviceteachers .Thecomputers cienceteachers hortagecanbeaddres s edbyexpos ingmorepre-s ervice
teachers tocomputers cienceduringtheirrequiredcours eworkorbycreatings pecificpathways forcomputer
s cienceteachers .
Mas s achus etts doesnotyethavededicatedcomputers ciencepos itions ins tateandlocaleducation
authorities .Creatingas tatewidecomputers cienceleaders hippos itionwithinthes tateeducationauthoritycan
helpexpands tate-levelimplementationofcomputers cienceeducationinitiatives .Similarpos itions atthelocal
levelcoulds upportdis tricts ’expans ionofcours eofferings andprofes s ionaldevelopment.
Mas s achus etts doesnotyetrequirethatalls econdarys chools offercomputers cience.Thes tatecan
s upporttheexpans ionofcomputers ciencecours es byadoptingpolicies thatrequires chools tooffera
computers ciencecours ebas edonrigorous s tandards ,withappropriateimplementationtimelines andallowing
forremoteand/orin-pers oncours es .
Mas s achus etts doesnotyetallowcomputers ciencetocountforacoregraduationrequirement.States
thatcountcomputers cienceas acoregraduationrequirements ee50%moreenrollmentintheirAPComputer
Sciencecours es andincreas edparticipationfromunderrepres entedminorities .Findouthowothers tates allow
computers ciencetocounttowards graduationathttp://bit.ly/1Is6YXS.
Mas s achus etts allows computers ciencetocountas acoreadmis s ionrequirementatins titutions ofhigher
education.
Followus!
Joinourefforts togiveeverys tudentineverys chooltheopportunitytolearncomputers cience.Learnmoreat
code.org,orfollowus onFacebookandTwitter.
Launchedin2013,Code.org®is anon-profitdedicatedtoexpandingacces s tocomputers cience,andincreas ing
participationbywomenandunderrepres enteds tudents ofcolor.Ourvis ionis thateverys tudentineverys chool
s houldhavetheopportunitytolearncomputers cience.
DataisfromtheC onferenceBoardforjobdemand,theBureauofLaborStatisticsforstatesalaryandnationaljobprojectionsdata,the
C ollegeBoardforAP examdata,theNationalC enterforEducationStatisticsforuniversitygraduatedata,theGallupresearchstudy
SearchingforC omputerScience:AccessandBarriersinK-12Educationforschoolsthatoffercomputerscienceandparentdemand,
andC ode.orgforitsowncourses,professionallearningprograms,andparticipationdata.