Computer science education is part of a well-rounded educational experience. It provides course opportunities for students while also emerging as an economic necessity. According to a Code.org report, “Computing occupations are the #1 source of new wages in America — that’s 16% of all new wages — and computer science accounts for the majority of new STEM jobs.”
States have already begun to move the needle to ensure access to computer science education across the country and support 21st century job readiness. While these efforts have broad application within states, they have shown greater impact in increasing computer science participation among female students and students of color. As Chair of Education Commission of the States, my 2022-23 Chair’s Initiative focuses on computer science education.
State policymakers have adopted several policies to support access to computer science education. These policies range from setting computer science standards and employing educators licensed or endorsed in computer science, to requiring computer science coursework and implementing computer science graduation requirements. Following these efforts, access to computer science education has jumped from 35% of students having access in 2017 to 53% of students in 2022.
Even with this increase in computer science education opportunities across the country, disparities still exist in access for students of color and female students. Nationally, just 32% of female students participate in foundational computer science courses. In the 2021-22 school year, disparities across race and ethnicity also persisted.
Computer science has been a priority of mine and the state of Arkansas since 2015. Since then, Arkansas has established two task forces dedicated to studying and offering recommendations to the state on computer science, technology and cybersecurity. The state also enacted legislation and adopted regulations to support teacher qualifications, computer science standards, access to courses and a computer science graduation requirement.
Those activities produced compelling outcomes. Through legislation supporting teacher certifications and qualifications, the number of qualified computer science teachers increased 40 fold from the 2014-15 to 2019-20 school years. Enrollment in computer science courses increased more than 800% during the same period as computer science standards and course requirements were implemented. For the 2021-22 school year, nearly 30% of students enrolled in computer science courses are female and more students of color have access to computer science education across all racial and ethnic groups as compared to national data.
The implementation of a computer science graduation requirement has raised questions about whether it would negatively impact graduation rates. While Arkansas’ graduation requirements went into effect during the 2022-23 school year, other states have seen the data play out. In South Carolina where the requirement was implemented in 2018, female student participation in computer science courses increased, and graduation rates increased for all student groups during the years following implementation.
Other states have seen similar outcomes as they have implemented policies such as adopting graduation requirements, increasing access to broadband, supporting teacher certification and qualifications and ensuring courses are available in schools across the state. Maryland, Mississippi and South Carolina are the only three states that have more than 40% participation in computer science education among female students. Racial and ethnic disparities in computer science participation have narrowed significantly in Alabama, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin — all states that have made policy changes to expand access to computer science.
Computer science access will continue to be an important area for state policymakers to consider as they look to close opportunity gaps and prepare students for jobs of the future. For more information about computer science education and my 2022-23 ECS Chair’s Initiative, visit this webpage.
