SupportK-12ComputerScience
EducationinNewYork
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.
ComputerscienceinNewYork
NewYorkcurrentlyhas 29,298opencomputingjobs(4.0times theaveragedemandrateinNewYork).
Theaverages alaryforacomputingoccupationinNYis $98,581,whichis s ignificantlyhigherthanthe
averages alaryinthes tate($57,030).
NewYorkhadonly3,575computersciencegraduatesin2014;only17%werefemale.
Only3,126highschoolstudentsinNewYorktooktheAPComputerScienceexamin2015;only23%
werefemale;only230s tudents wereHis panic;only146s tudents wereblack;only8s tudents wereNative
American.
Only187schoolsinNY(13%ofNYs 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/NYtolearnmoreabout
s upportingcomputers cienceinyours tate.
5. Signthepetitionatwww.change.org/computerscienceto
join100,000Americans as kingCongres s tos upport
computers cience.
Code.org'sImpactinNewYork
Thereare9,240teacheraccountsand400,679studentaccountsinCodeStudioinNewYork.
Code.org's profes s ionallearningpartner(s )is /are:Code/Interactive.
Code.orghas partneredwiththefollowings chooldis trict(s ):NYCDepartmentofEducation.
5Code.orgK-12facilitators inNewYorkhaveprovidedprofes s ionallearningfor965elementary
teachers.
Code.orghas providedprofes s ionallearningfor50middleschoolteachersand122highschool
teachersinNewYorktoteachcomputers 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.
NewYorkdoesnotyethaverigorous computers ciences tandards publiclyavailableacros s K-12.Computer
s ciencehas oftenbeenconfus edwithbroadertechnologyeducationins chools .States coulds trengthentheir
computers cienceprograms bypubliclyadoptingdis cretes tandards forcomputers ciencefocus edonboththe
creationandus eofs oftwareandcomputingtechnologies atalllevels ofK-12education.TheComputerScience
Teachers As s ociationhas modelK-12CSs tandards .
NewYorkdoesnotyetprovidededicatedfundingforrigorous computers cienceprofes s ionaldevelopment
andcours es upport.Althoughfunds maybeavailableviabroaderprograms ,thes tatecans trengthenits
computers cienceprograms bycreatings pecificopportunities tobringcomputers ciencetos chooldis tricts ,
s uchas matchingfundprograms .
NewYorkhas clearcertificationpathways forcomputers cienceteachers .
NewYorkcurrentlyhasnoincentives forins titutions ofhighereducationtooffercomputers ciencetopres erviceteachers .Thecomputers cienceteachers hortagecanbeaddres s edbyexpos ingmorepre-s ervice
teachers tocomputers cienceduringtheirrequiredcours eworkorbycreatings pecificpathways forcomputer
s cienceteachers .
NewYorkdoesnotyethavededicatedcomputers ciencepos itions ins tateandlocaleducationauthorities .
Creatingas tatewidecomputers cienceleaders hippos itionwithinthes tateeducationauthoritycanhelpexpand
s tate-levelimplementationofcomputers cienceeducationinitiatives .Similarpos itions atthelocallevelcould
s upportdis tricts ’expans ionofcours eofferings andprofes s ionaldevelopment.
NewYorkdoesnotyetrequirethatalls econdarys chools offercomputers cience.Thes tatecans upport
theexpans ionofcomputers ciencecours es byadoptingpolicies thatrequires chools toofferacomputer
s ciencecours ebas edonrigorous s tandards ,withappropriateimplementationtimelines andallowingfor
remoteand/orin-pers oncours es .
NewYorkallows computers ciencetocountforacoregraduationrequirement.FindouthowNewYorkallows
computers ciencetocounttowards graduationathttp://bit.ly/1Is6YXS.
NewYorkallows 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.