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THE PROBLEM

What we know:

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  1. 93% of parents want their child to learn computer science in school;

  2. 67% of parents & 57% of teachers think computer science education should be required;

  3. 50% of Americans consider computer science to be among the top two most important subjects (after reading and writing);

  4. High school students who take computer science are 6x more likely to major in it, and high school females are 10x more likely;

  5. Computer science majors make significantly more money on average than most other occupations.

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So, what's the problem?​

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CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS HAVE EXTREMELY LIMITED ACCESS TO COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION!

 

ONLY 40% OF SCHOOLS TEACH COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION!

 

Reference

Code.org. (n.d.b). Promote computer science. Retrieved from https://code.org/promote

Change the Equation on Bridging the Computer Science Access Gap

 

Change the Equation works with schools, communities, and state governments to implement policies and programs to ensure all children and young adults are STEM literate (Change the Equation, n.d.a).

 

Their article, New Data: Bridging the Computer Science Access Gap elegantly discusses how just a fraction of high school seniors have taken a computer programming class, even though many would like to (Change the Equation, n.d.b). Change the Equation goes on to discuss how minorities, low-income students, and students living in rural areas are at the greatest disadvantage and have the least access to computer science education. So while 49% of higher income high school kids had access to computer science courses, that percentage was just 35% for low-income high school kids!

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The gap in computer science education is also evident when race is considered. For example, according to Change the Equation, 59% of Asians, 54% of Whites, 43% of Latinos, 34% of Blacks, and 22% of Native Americans had access to computer science classes in high school.

 

What is Change the Equation's solution to bridging the gap? Simple. Require all schools to offer computer science classes (Change the Equation, n.d.b).

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References

 

Change the Equation. (n.d.a). About change the equation. Retrieved from 

http://changetheequation.org/about-change-equation

 

Change the Equation. (n.d.b). New data: Bridging the computer science access gap. Retrieved from 

http://changetheequation.org/new-data-bridging-computer-science-access-gap

Good School, Rich School; Bad School, Poor School: The Inequality at the Heart of America’s Education System

 

In order to address the issue of offering computer science education courses, the issue of funding such programs and courses must also be addressed.

 

In this article, the author addresses the fact that rich schools give children access to tools to help them succeed, such as counselors and, in some cases, personal computers to use for school work and school project (The Atlantic, 2016). Conversely, unfunded schools do not even have the money for students to have new or personal textbooks, let alone their own personal computers or even computer science education courses.

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The author states that while some may argue increased funding does not make a difference in individual students, increasing educational funding can provide low-income students with the tools they need to do better at school, like those in high-income schools, which may lead to students having more access to computer science education (The Atlantic 2016).

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References

 

The Atlantic. (2016). Good school, rich school; Bad school, poor school. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/property-taxes-and-unequal-schools/497333/

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