This piece from IEEE Spectrum calls for a shift of focus to CS educators, as opposed to investing primarily in classroom hardware.
Newer data on high school Advanced Placement exams collected by College Board does show positive signs. The number of “AP Computer Science A” exam-takers more than doubled from 2012 to 2016, reaching more than 54,000 students. And another 40,000 students took the new “AP Computer Science Principles” exam introduced in 2017. But that’s still a small fraction of the 15.1 million students attending high school this year.
A vast majority of students, parents, and educators are interested in and highly value computer science, the Google-Gallup report found. But state policies and curricula are lagging. Ten states currently have K–12 computer science standards, and 10 others are working on them. Only 33 states count computer science courses toward high school graduation credit. Arkansas is the only state that has made K–12 CS education mandatory. Virginia and Rhode Island are on that path.
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