Opinion piece and tweets for Level Playing Field Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the barriers faced by underrepresented people of color in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and fostering their untapped talent for the advancement of our nation.
“Our Children Deserve to Lead: Why All California Public Schools Need Computer Science Courses” By Ben Jealous According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs for what it calls “computer and information research scientists” will increase by 15% between 2012 and 2022. If California Public Schools remain on its current course, our children will be excluded from the economic growth charted to spread throughout our nation. Computer science, by definition is the scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications. It can be applied to physics, chemistry, architecture, engineering, neuroscience, genetics, sociology; the list goes on. We’ve become increasingly dependent on computers and technological advancements, however we cannot ignore the lack of educational programs preparing our children to shape, invent and lead the future of our world. Picture this: there are 560,874 high school students, across 20 school districts, in the state of California. Among those half a million students, only 8,136 are enrolled in a computer science course. How exactly do we expect to raise a nation of computer programmers, software engineers, data scientists and create global change, if our children do not have access to the very basic resource that will prepare them for these careers: computer science courses. California is home to hundreds of global technology companies, Google, Apple and Facebook included. One would expect more from a state that boasts a region so technologically rich like Silicon Valley, and yet, 65% of public high schools offer no computer science courses. Schools with underrepresented populations are even worse off, as schools with a high percentage of lowincome students offer computer science courses at a rate of less than half, as opposed to schools with a low percentage of low-income students. There is no excuse for this divide, only the inherent need for change among lawmakers, school districts and tech communities. The inevitable gap between opportunity, achievement and a skilled workforce can be eliminated, if only California Public Schools would acknowledge these disparities and take action. District and school-level initiatives to create computer science working groups, like the partnership between Oakland Unified School District and Level Playing Field Institute, are proof that this change is being made, but there is much more to be done. Computer science is a powerful force that will continue to mold and shape the world. California can no longer ignore the state-wide initiatives necessary, to ensure our children are a part of this change. As parents, we tell our children that they can achieve anything. Do you want to become the generation that denies them their right to lead? ### Tweets: The surprising reason your child lacks computer science education via @BenJealous #CApublicschools lpfi.org/pnf
Opinion piece and tweets for Level Playing Field Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the barriers faced by underrepresented people of color in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and fostering their untapped talent for the advancement of our nation.
Silicon Valley is for tech careers, but not tech education. Read more on the disparity in California schools| lpfi.org/pnf “Computer science will continue to mold and shape the world� @BenJealous shares why #CA schools need #computerscience lpfi.org/pnf