Code.org urges US school governors to teach computer science
A selection of students taught US governors how to code as part of Code.org's nationwide drive to boost access to computer science courses. The non-profit organisation hosted an Hour of Code session at the annual National Governors Association meeting in a bid to increase the number of computer science classes available, fund teacher development in the subject and develop school computer science standards. During the hour, pupils as young as 10 taught seven governors and one lieutenant governor how to code. Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said the kids were "inspirational", adding that computer education is "critical".

Dive Brief:

A group of students taught governors how to code at the annual National Governors Association meeting amid a national push to increase access to computer science courses.

EdTech: Focus on K-12 reports Code.org hosted the Hour of Code session, aiming to convince governors to require high schools to offer at least one computer science course, to fund teacher development to increase the number of qualified computer science teachers in their states, and to develop K-12 computer science standards.

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has committed to getting computer science into every school, if only through online instruction at first, and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said his state is well on its way to meeting Code.org’s three goals after requiring high school coding classes and investing $5 million in teacher training.

Dive Insight:

Hour of Code events are one way to introduce students to coding and computer science more generally, but they are not nearly enough to prepare students for technology majors in college or for future jobs. A key criticism of the push to teach coding is that it doesn’t provide students with computer science fundamentals that teach them the logic behind the skill. That’s, ostensibly, what required high school courses could delve into.

Alternative post-secondary programs are having some of the same problems in finding a balance. Coding bootcamps have sprung up to provide adults with retraining opportunities that make them marketable to tech employers, but there is concern crash courses in programming languages that are popular now won’t truly prepare people for the field. When new languages are created, computer scientists who know the logic behind them are better equipped to adapt. As high schools strive to prepare students for careers as well as college, this should be kept top of mind.