What Does Access to Computer Science Look Like Today...and Where Do We Go Next?
Photo: Twitter user @Senyda
What does access to computer science education look like in 2021? How is it improving? And where do we go from here? These questions were central to this year’s CSEdCon, an annual gathering hosted by Code.org® of global computer science (CS) education advocates focused on equity, policy, school implementation, research, and professional learning initiatives.
Speakers in the first session, “The 2021 State of CS Education and Beyond,” included individuals from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance, and the Code.org Advocacy Coalition. Overall, they agreed: while the numbers show access is improving, there is still work to be done.
The 2021 State of Computer Science Education report breaks down the data.
The successes:
For the first time ever, more than half (51%) of all high schools in the United States offer Computer Science classes, up from 35% just a few years ago.
Policy is working. States that have adopted CS policies (like establishing K-12 CS education standards and adopting certification pathways for educators) see a greater percentage in high schools that offer CS. 31 states have adopted more than 50 policies, totaling more than $65,000,000 allocated.
The first ever comprehensive policy that requires CS courses to be applicable toward graduation was adopted.
Photo: Code.org, CSTA, & ECEP Alliance. (2021). 2021 State of computer science education: Accelerating action through advocacy. Retrieved from https://advocacy.code.org/stateofcs
Continuing challenges:
On the flip side, almost half of the high schools in the United States do not yet offer CS classes.
Urban and rural schools and those that serve high populations of economically disadvantaged students are less likely to have CS class offerings.
When places do offer courses, students aren’t always enrolling, and the opportunity is not distributed evenly: there is still an enrollment gap between male and female and/or non-binary students, and for economically disadvantaged students and those with disabilities.
Alison Yoshimoto-Towery, Chief Academic Officer of Los Angeles Unified, puts it clearly. If we know that computing is the number one source of income for students in the US; and that girls who take an AP CS class are 10 times more likely to major in CS; and that Black and LatinX students who take AP CS classes are 7 times more likely to major in CS, then we need to be sure that all our students have those opportunities.
The challenge, she says, is to think about “joy equity” - all students having the access to the things that make them happy. It’s as critical as having a pencil and a piece of paper. Access to CS and coding inspires creative, innovative thought and design-based thinking will not only benefit them in the tech industry, but in a wide range of dream careers. Computer Science education, she explains, will inspire kids to “create the best new transportation in this world. It’s going to create the new fashionista, because they’ll have that creative thought. It's going to create the new best way to help somebody who needs heart surgery, because we're investing in our young people and the way to think about problems in the world and to create solutions.”
But the pressure can’t only fall on teachers and students. There are other factors at play that impact access: progress comes from internships within the private sector, from philanthropic donations that can make up the difference between what some students get at home and what others don’t.
The ECEP Alliance agrees that changes are needed systematically, and that scaling opportunities and sustaining improvements need to be addressed system-wide. Their focus is on reporting: with better data, policy makers can better address specific, unique challenges. This is already working in states like Washington, where annual reports have shown that one of the greatest disparities in access in the state is with the Hispanic/LatinX population. Knowing this, lawmakers can then focus specifically on curating evidence-based tools that engage this population. ECEP Alliance is launching a three-year common metrics project to help states understand how to build systems for measuring capacity access, participation, and experience to contribute to the broader national conversation around how we address inequities. Code.org also launched a tool that can help you understand what data is being reported from your school and what it means.
Whether it’s data reporting or more private sector integration, the takeaway from the opening session of CSEdCon2021 is clear: there is much to celebrate in the number of students who have been touched by CS Education this past year alone. But equity of access is a major concern, and the solutions might not only come from within the classrooms, but from the systems and people who impact learning nationwide.
Watch the first session below:
Code.org® is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing participation by young women and students from other underrepresented groups. Their vision is that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn computer science as part of their core K-12 education and they are the leading provider of K-12 computer science curriculum in the largest school districts in the United States.